But for a sage and compelling nudge, first-generation college student Shanna Peeples might have unfurled the white flag of academic surrender. Instead she became an educational standard bearer – for a city, a state, and a nation.

Peeples, the much-celebrated Amarillo educator who in 2015 was named National Teacher of the Year, has been chosen to receive the Amarillo College Distinguished Alumni Award for 2016.

Both laurels, along with an avalanche of regional acclamation engendered by the first, were undeniably inconceivable at the dawn of Peeples’ collegiate journey.

But then came that nudge.

“It was a couple of weeks into my first semester at AC and I was already feeling out of my league,” Peeples recollects. “I was the first person from my family to go to college. I felt in over my head, struggling with insecurity that feeds what psychologists call ‘imposter syndrome.’

“Then, Dr. Neil Sapper, my history professor, asked me to stay after class,” she said, “and my anxiety really spiked. But what he told me was this: ‘You act like you don’t belong here, but I’m here to tell you that you do belong. You were meant to go to college, so I want you to start believing that.’”

From that seminal pep talk emerged a student energized. Peeples completed her AC associate degree in 1995, having been welcomed into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society along the way. She transferred her well-earned credits and obtained a bachelor’s degree from West Texas A&M University.

After sharing her exemplary literary skills with a news-hungry public during five years reporting for the Amarillo Globe-News, Peeples answered the call to teach. She signed on with the Amarillo Independent School District, ultimately found a home at Palo Duro High School, completed a master’s degree at the University of Texas—Arlington, and swiftly rose to chair the Palo Duro English Department.

Equally swift was her ascension to the national spotlight. In October of 2014, Peeples became the third-ever AISD teacher to garner a state Teacher of the Year title when she was named Texas’ Secondary Teacher of the Year. Just six months thereafter, she became the first Texas teacher to be named National Teacher of the Year.

The accolade is bestowed annually by the Council of Chief State School Officers “for professional accomplishments that represent the highest standards of excellence in American teaching.”

Peeples was presented with her award on April 27, 2015 by the President of the United States, Barack Obama. That ceremony at the White House was the beginning of a yearlong sojourn for Peeples, as a full-time national and international spokesperson for public education.

She spoke about American education before a prestigious national gathering of educational commissioners from all 50 states. She took her message about literacy and inclusion to government officials, students and educators, from Orlando, Long Beach and Salt Lake City to Istanbul, Beirut, and Tel Aviv.

When her term as Teacher of the Year expired earlier this year, her ambassadorship didn’t skip a beat; she was named a Global Learning Fellow by the National Education Association and this summer visited schools in China and Peru.

Her passion for education knows no bounds, and she even writes a scholarly blog these days for the Huffington Post. Now she has added Distinguished Alumna to her burgeoning résumé.

“Shanna Peeples is a perfect example of the hope that community colleges offer all students,” AC President Russell Lowery-Hart said. “Shanna in turn instills hope in every student who crosses her path, and as National Teacher of the Year, she instills hope in every teacher across the globe.

“As distinguished alumna for Amarillo College, she is a beacon of hope that AC will provide the path to better and fulfilling lives for every graduate.”

Peeples will be officially presented as AC’s Distinguished Alumna in October at a special College event called “A Celebration of Education.” Peeples will be celebrated, and educators who have changed lives will be honored. Some life-changing educational programs will be highlighted.

“A Celebration of Education” is from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13 at the Oeschger Family Mall on AC’s Washington Street Campus. The cost is $50, and all proceeds will benefit AC students. The public is invited to attend. Please contact the AC Foundation at (806) 371-5107 for ticket information.

Peeples, who in addition to teaching AP English and English as a Second Language, now also serves as an instructional coach for other AISD teachers. She says the recent attention she has received from her alma mater has been personally overwhelming.

“I am beyond proud and humbled to be named a distinguished alumna of AC, a College that has done so much good for so many in our community,” she said. “I had nothing but deeply compassionate teachers at AC, like Dr. Sapper, Carol Nicklaus and Judy Hathcock.

“They showed me how to be a college student and helped the scholar that I never knew was inside of me to emerge. They taught me that I was worth investing in, and I’m so grateful that the faculty at AC continues to teach this most important lesson to all enrolling students today.”

August 10, 2016