When Shannon Daniel of Olive Branch, a wife and mother, decided to return to college after a long absence, she paid a visit to Northwest Mississippi Community College’s DeSoto Center campus. 

When she was greeted by helpful personnel from both Northwest and The University of Mississippi, she returned the next day to register as an accountancy major in the  2+2 program in which Northwest provides the freshman and sophomore years of study, and Ole Miss offers junior and senior-level classes.

Last week Daniel was among 10 students named to the college’s Hall of Fame, the highest academic honor offered at Northwest.

“When I came to register for my first semester, Mr. Keith Reed (business instructor) helped me with my schedule,” Daniel said. “I had a lot of questions and concerns because it has been a long time since I last attended school. He was direct, yet kind and encouraging.”

Reed’s success with his students may be one of the reasons he was named this year’s HEADWAE (Higher Education Appreciation Day, Working for Academic Excellence) outstanding educator and will be honored by the Mississippi Legislature.

When legislators enter the state Capitol this week they will be greeted by a delegation lobbying for increased funding for community colleges. Each college was asked to submit pictorials of student success stories. Daniel was chosen as one of those Northwest successes.

Now a sophomore at Northwest, Daniel is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and was chosen Outstanding Student in her major from DeSoto Center.

“I am determined to live my life on purpose,” she observed. “I have two teenage sons whom I homeschooled until they reached the eighth and ninth grades.  When I felt I had gone as far as necessary with them, I registered them and myself for school. I worked part-time as a career developer for seven years until this past December. I left my job in order to give my all to school.”

Daniel also credits psychology instructor Charlie Aaron and economics instructor David Bourne with her classroom success.

For more information about classes at Northwest, visit the website at www.northwestms.edu.  For information about online classes through the college’s eLearning Division, visit: www.northwestms.edu/elearning/elearninghome.html.