TCC Alumna Benita Whitaker Cleveland, featured in the latest issue of Projection, takes pride in teaching students the value of a dollar and an education.
The Payoff
If you ask Benita, she’ll tell you that she has the most important job there is – working as a dedicated teacher.
As a business education instructor at O.D. Wyatt High School in Fort Worth, Benita addresses students’ financial and education concerns. “Some of my students don’t believe they are college material,” she said, “but I explain to them that ‘Yes you are.’ Get the degree because it shows potential employers that you are teachable, willing to learn and to change. It shows them that you are willing to gain knowledge and learn their process.”
Making Sense of the Numbers
Benita took classes at Tarrant County College, which enabled her to pursue an education while working. Because of the reasonable cost, and with help from her employer, she managed to complete her work at TCC without school loans. After TCC, she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Dollars & Cents
“I encourage my students to consider TCC for college because you are in a smaller community and you really get to know your instructors,” she said. “The education and the experience you get at TCC are indescribable. You get the same or better education at TCC at a lower cost than some of the other colleges and universities. The students really start to listen to me when they realize how much college costs.”
Written by Pamela Smith