Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 4-26-19

Feature
Tysha Porter: From High School Dropout To HCC’s New Student Gov’t President
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
Next month, Tysha Porter, 26, will take an oath as the next Student Government Association president at Hills- borough Community College’s Ybor City campus.
It’s an accomplishment that just months ago, she wasn’t sure she could achieve.
But doing the unthinkable is Porter’s superpower.
Just two years ago, she was working as a housekeeper at a hospital.
She made decent money, but wanted more for herself. Thanks to the influence of a group of friends who were col- lege students or graduates, Porter began considering ob- taining her degree as well.
There was just one big problem: Porter was a high school dropout.
The Tampa native spent her formative years bouncing from
school to school, a total of 21 by the time she gave up for good.
She never stayed in one school through the entire school year and made few friends.
It’s an unusual experience for a young woman who came from a two-parent home and grew up in the church. Looking back, Porter said she now rec- ognizes that an incessant need for attention was the root of her behavioral problems at school.
But school officials didn’t see it that way, Porter said.
“I felt like they had thrown their hands up,” she said. “I felt like as long as I worked, I was fine.”
But the desire for a better life began to weigh heavy on Porter. A colleague learned that she didn’t have a high school diploma and urged her to go back to school. It was the encouragement that Porter needed.
She enrolled in HCC’s Op-
Tysha Porter will lead Stu- dent Government at HCC Ybor Campus.
eration College, a program that helps students pass the GED and transition into college.
Getting to the finish line, however, would not be easy.
First, she had to overcome self-doubt and her own insecu- rities. To help her stay on task, Porter enlisted the support of her longtime mentor, Be- linthia Berry.
Berry first met Porter as a child and was there to offer ad-
vice and help as she struggled through challenges of “middle child syndrome.” Porter was “flippant at the mouth and be- yond her years,” Berry said.
Over the years, the two began to build a good relation- ship based on trust and respect. Berry said she was sure to be transparent with Porter and share both her successes and failures.
When Porter failed the GED exam, Berry said she urged her to speak confidently over herself and believe that she would pass the next time.
Berry was right.
“It was hard at first, but I got into a groove and finished,” Porter said. “I knew I was on a mission.”
After obtaining her GED, Porter moved forward with plans to study psychology and enrolled as a student at HCC.
She became active in pro- grams and organizations on campus, including SGA as a
Senator. She hadn’t thought much about running for presi- dent until someone suggested she do it.
Porter was hesitant ini- tially. She wanted to make a dif- ference on campus, but was unsure that if being SGA presi- dent was the best way to do that.
“I doubted myself a little,” she said. “I had to get really un- comfortable and push myself. I had to remember that God equipped me with everything I needed.”
As president, Porter said she wants to focus on student mental health and homeless students, as well as bridging the gap between faculty and stu- dents.
Ginger Clark, Ybor City campus president, said she’s looking forward to Porter exe- cuting her ideas.
“She’s ready to take over,” she said. “She’s a remarkable young woman.”
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