Learning Curve
Shirley Steps In
Posted on November 4, 2021, by GAPMP
Meet Shirley Daniels in Mitchell County
Shirley worked with the family of a recent graduate and her school district leadership to provide opportunities for the new grad, leading him to find, follow and, ultimately achieve his post secondary goals and dreams.
This is what a parent wrote about upon her son’s graduation from Southern Regional Technical College in 2021.
“I want to congratulate my son, Nathaniel Hardwick on getting his Associates Degree with honors. He is now a Computer Networking Specialist.
I got very emotional as I stood in the stadium watching him and his class march down the aisle. I remembered all of the ups and downs and hard times we had, but we got through it all.
Being a single mom wasn’t easy especially when your child is diagnosed with Autism.
After he finished high school, I was worried and stressed because I didn’t know what he was going to do with his life. There were many tears and sleepless nights.
One day, I picked up the phone and called Ms. Shirley Daniels, and the rest, as they say, is history.
She convinced the School Superintendent to allow Nathaniel to intern during the summer at the Mitchell Schools Board of Education office. He went from school to school helping them with their computers. He had found his passion and applied to school to become a computer networking specialist.
He overcame many challenges to achieve this dream (including learning to drive).
I want to tell parents, ‘Don’t give up on your child. Support them all that you can because they need you. You never know what terrific thing is in store for them.'”