Erin Pankey Tolleson thankful to Wallace State faculty, staff for helping her reach goals
HANCEVILLE, Ala. — A tour of Wallace State Community College is what convinced Erin
Pankey Tolleson of Guntersville to choose the college as the place to start her educational
career in poultry science.“I toured the campus at Wallace State and found that the staff were friendly, helpful, and accommodating to my needs,” she said. “The tutoring services that Wallace State offers are much more flexible than any of the other community colleges I had previously looked at.”
Having access to tutoring was important to Tolleson, who said she struggled in high school. But she wanted to continue her education so that she could earn a degree.
“Wallace State exceeded my expectations by providing multiple tutors and flexible hours at their tutoring center,” she said. “Not only were the tutors helpful in between classes, but the teachers also held office hours where you could come and ask questions about the course materials. The additional support provided by the Wallace State staff gave me an amazing experience as a first-year student.”
She received the Who’s Who Award during her last semester at Wallace State.
“For someone who struggled in high school this was extremely rewarding and memorable. Receiving this award showed me that if I applied myself, I could accomplish any goal I set my mind to. Going forward from that experience, I pushed myself and excelled in my classes at Auburn University.”
Tolleson transferred to Auburn University in 2018 and earned a degree in Poultry Science.
She said she was influenced by “three wonderful, strong, and passionate female professors
completely changed my perspective on how I could excel in my career and showed me how
I could apply myself in my courses.“I truly want to thank Dr. Melanie Glasscock of the Science department, Dr. Leigh Ann Courington of the History department, and Dr. Krystal Davis of the Math department. I struggled through high school with keeping good grades, constantly staying after school for tutoring with no improvement. When I started Wallace State, I was extremely worried about my GPA and if I was going to be able to pass my courses. These women went above and beyond teaching to help me accomplish my goals of having a high GPA — whether it was tutoring during office hours or staying after class to answer all questions I had. These women gave me the confidence I needed to transfer to Auburn and graduate a year early and with honors.”
Today, Tolleson is a Service Technician for Koch Foods in Dalton, Georgia. She credits her time at Wallace for her success at Auburn and in her career.
This is one in a series of spotlights and events to be featured in April as Wallace State celebrates national Community College Month. Visit www.wscccalumni.org/ccmonth21 for more information.
Registration for Summer Semester also starts this month. Priority registration begins April 13. Summer semester features one 10-week term beginning May 26 and two 5-week terms, with classes offered on campus in Hanceville and Oneonta, online, day, evening and weekends. For more information about Wallace State, visit www.wallacestate.edu.