I graduated from Union High School in May of 2007. I was an honor student and finished in the top 15 in my class. I probably could have been successful going straight to a university, but it was clear to me that the best option for the next step in my education was right down the road at East Central. Most of my friends also enrolled at EC. I chose not to live on campus and commuted from home in Union. In doing this, I not only saved a lot of money, I actually made money by being able to stack scholarships. This helped offset car and meal expenses. I took pretty full loads while at EC and participated in the EC Players Dinner Theater. During my time there, I changed majors a couple of times, and, because of that, ended up not having the needed credit alignment to earn a degree. I had enough hours, but just not in the right areas. I transferred to Mississippi State in the fall of 2009. I earned my BS in Biological Sciences at State in August of 2010. EC did an excellent job preparing me for everything I encountered there. Not long after that, I started teaching at Union and my career progression led to earning a master’s degree from Arkansas State in 2014. I then transitioned into the principal role at UMS and decided to pursue additional education. I earned an educational specialist degree in instructional leadership in 2018 from William Carey. Following that, and after assuming the superintendent role at UPSD, I decided to finish the terminal degree. I earned my doctorate in educational leadership in 2020 from William Carey with a dissertation focused on academic success in rural schools despite the barriers. Through all this, I always had in the back of my mind that I wish I had a diploma from ECCC. After all, that’s where most of the foundation was laid. During my time at Union, I always had a strong working relationship with the college. However, this year at Newton County has afforded me the opportunity to serve on the Board of Trustees for EC. It’s truly been a remarkable experience and I’ve met so many new people who truly love EC. There was still that missing piece. I didn’t have an ECCC diploma. I connected with Dr. Marie Roberts, ECCC VP for Enrollment Services. She helped me meet the requirements to earn an Associate of Science degree from EC through a reverse transfer. I am so proud. 18 years after the fact, it has come full circle. ECCC is a huge blessing in the East Central Mississippi area. We are so blessed to have such a resource for the development of future leaders and the workforce. I truly hope everyone understands how important ECCC is to the success of our area of the state. If you have a story similar to mine, I would encourage you to reach out to EC and see what options you might have. Who knows, you might end up being named Alum of the Year, or something awesome like that. #GotoECCC
Dr. Tyler Hansford holds an associate degree from ECCC, a bachelor’s degree from Mississippi State, a master’s degree from Arkansas State, and educational specialist and doctorate degrees from William Carey University. He is the former superintendent of the Union Public School District and is currently the superintendent of the Newton County School District.
