Glenda K. Farrell

Attending Boggs was a wonderful experience for me. I am so thankful to my family for offering it as an option for continuing my education. Leaving my hometown of Chester, Pennsylvania (Suburban Philadelphia, where MLK attended seminary school, and was mentored by my childhood pastor, J. Pius Barbour of Calvary Baptist Church) to travel such a distance to Keysville, Georgia, did not seem to be a great idea at the time. But, there was an eagerness in the back of my head to join the educational ranks of my mother's family. She, along with my six aunts, and cousins, were always telling great stories about the wonderful time they spent at Gillespie Selden Institute, and Boggs Academy.

Entering Boggs the fall of 1966, I had settled in by winter. I met and enjoyed many new friends and had gotten to know the environment, instructors and the many other offerings. After a few months, I loved it! I think what I liked most was learning to socialize with a diverse group from all over the nation as well as from other countries. Ethical values and academics of course, were the highest priority at Boggs. Later, I would learn that these contests, competitions, and challenges, along with hard work, were a part of what made so many of us driven, capable and successful adults after leaving Boggs.

Upon graduation, in 1969, I returned home with the intention to pursue college, but within two weeks I was offered a career in what we thought at the time, was a very prestigious insurance company - State Farm Insurance. After a few years, I found not only was I doing my work, but I was also doing a huge chunk of the tasks of the lawyers and claims personnel as well. Although I had received many awards, seminar trainings, promotions and citations for my work, after a while, there was simply no challenge. I knew I had to attend college sooner, rather than later.

I received my BA in Education in 1976 from Cheney University of Pennsylvania, the oldest HBCU in the country. I began my teaching career in the Bridgeton Education School District, Bridgeton, New Jersey while pursuing a Masters of Education at Rowan University, Glassboro New Jersey. Teaching was not only my profession, but also my passion. This devotion was duly recognized and rewarded by my colleagues, the parents of my students and the community. It was especially reflected through the parents who requested me as teacher for their children, and the numerous awards I received during that period, including the title of "Teacher of The Year." Many of my former students remain in contact with me to this day.

Boggs Academy gave me that initial spark but it became clear that I had to blaze the trail myself. In 2002 my mother transitioned. Since both my daughters had graduated college by then, I jumped at the chance when one of my teaching colleagues told me she thought it would do me well to work part-time in professional sports. I actually became a professional sports enthusiast, when I started as a stadium/suite hostess for the Philadelphia Phillies and Eagles.

By 2007, the end of my teaching career, I had become a master teacher and a member of numerous local, county and national educational associations for change. The National Associations were: The National Education Association, Council for Exceptional Children, and the Kappa Delta Pi - International Honor Society of Education. After a 30 year career, I retired and moved across country to a warmer climate, Henderson, Nevada, where I enjoyed working for the beverage department of Caesars Palace Resort and Hotel. Six years later, in 2014, I retired from the hotel industry of Nevada.

For the past 9 years I have also been supporting the great legacy of Boggs Academy in various positions: Five years of chairing and guiding the Scholarship Program to and through the process of making its first four awards; Establishing, alongside the late Lennis Smith Wyatt '69, the Resolution/Courtesy Program; Guiding the development and birth of the Boggs Museum; Developing and assisting in the operation of a first-time Boggs-Burke County Students Mentorship Program.

In 2014, I was appointed to the presidency of the BANAA. In my spare time I create and sell jewelry, and enjoy touring historical USA, reading biographies and writing. However, I still consider my greatest accomplishments to be my two adult children - Misty, who is a director at an engineering firm, mother and wife, residing in Arlington, Massachusetts, and Deenah, who is a medical student at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

I leave you with one word: G-R-A-T-I-T-U-D-E. I am grateful for the multi-dimensional education I received from attending Boggs. It started the preparation for my life's work and contributions. I am happy to have continued to be an active member of the Boggs Academy National Alumni Association. It is a pleasure and honor for me to continue doing what I have done for my whole life - volunteer, lead, serve, collaborate and support!