Wallace Native LeAnn Horne Pursues Dream of Becoming a Teacher
Wallace Native LeAnn Horne Pursues Dream of Becoming a Teacher
WALLACE- LeAnn Horne of Wallace has always wanted to lead her own classroom of students.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I knew that I wanted to be a pre K or kindergarten teacher,” she said.
Horne’s road to a college education did not begin right after high school. Instead, she worked as a teacher’s assistant at Wallace Elementary School and started her family. She married her husband, Tony, and they have three children together, Conner (10), Landen (7), and Annsley (3).
In May of 2014 at the age of 33, Horne decided it was time to make that dream of becoming a teacher become a reality. With the full support from her husband and her family, she enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program at the University of Mount Olive at Wilmington.
“God opened doors that I thought were shut forever,” she said. “I was able to fill out loans and grants that made it all financially possible.”
At first, the thought of becoming a student after so long, was a little daunting.
“During my first class at UMO, I was so scared,” Horne revealed. “I did not know anything about how to submit assignments online or how to do much on a computer. However, UMO guided me through the struggles.”
Balancing work, family life, and church involvements all while attending school has been quite the juggling act. However, Horne’s husband, mom, Aunt Gigi and Gran-Gran have all been very supportive by helping with the kids’ school work and extracurricular activities.
“Everyone has pulled together to help make my dream a reality,” she shared. “My life has truly been changed by attending UMO. I now have confidence and skills that I did not have before.”
Two years after beginning the program, Horne is on track to graduate in December 2016. She can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and she is excited to begin her role teaching tomorrow’s future leaders.
“I get so much joy out of teaching,” she said. “The children come to school for the first time and don’t even know how to hold a pencil. By the time they leave kindergarten, they are able to read! It’s the most rewarding job in the world.”
The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values. The University, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Research Triangle Park, Washington, Jacksonville, and in Smithfield at Johnston Community College. For more information, visit old.umo.edu.
