I grew up very poor here in Evansville. As a small child, it was instilled in me, “Education, education!” Both of my parents were illiterate and did not finish high school. This inspired me to get an education because I saw that without an education, they were stuck in the cycle of poverty and uncertainty. I vowed to break that cycle, and they encouraged me to do so. I have three younger sisters, and my parents would often tell us, “Education is the key to life.” I saw their struggle, and I knew they were telling me the truth.
Growing up, it was sometimes a challenge to stay focused on learning. My friends would say, “What do you mean you’re going to study instead of go out with us?” I just knew at a young age that education was the way to go. In 1987, I graduated from Bosse High School.
After high school, I went to UE to get my Real Estate License. Then, I got pregnant with my son and started working in the restaurant industry. I became a general manager at McDonald’s and did that while I was raising my two children. When my son graduated, he went to boot camp. A couple years later my daughter followed in his footsteps. Both of my children are Marines.
Around the time my daughter went to boot camp, my father was passing away, and he said to me, “You owe me a degree. You promised to help people learn how to read.” That was when I got serious about volunteering at the Literacy Center and later became the Education Coordinator for one year (in 2018). I also went back to school at Ivy Tech to take my core classes and later transferred to USI, earning my bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in Rhetoric and Writing. It was something to fill my time, and it helped me with my own reading and writing.
I never thought I would become a teacher. My two passions are reading and horses. I really thought I would own and train thoroughbreds, which I did. My focus was making enough money to raise my children and buy thoroughbreds, but in 2007, I had an accident and was told I couldn’t be on horses again. I sat down and really thought about my life. I wondered, “How can I be productive? How can I be happy in what I am doing?” This was a little before my father died of lung cancer and reminded me that I promised him I’d help people learn.
Volunteering and working at the Literacy Center helped fuel my passion for teaching. There have been many students that have touched my life over the years. In October of 2019, I started working for Vincennes University’s Adult Education Program in various jails and classrooms in Evansville and the surrounding areas. My favorite part about teaching is the lightbulb moment when a student truly understands something they’ve been struggling with. You can just feel it when it clicks.
It’s cliche, but to any students who are struggling, I would say to never give up. You fail and you get up; you fail and you get up. Success often comes after failing. The key is perseverance in all aspects of life. Turn every moment into a learning moment. I do that in my life, whether it’s for someone else to learn or for me to learn. Since my parents instilled in me the importance of education, I realized you’re always going to be learning. I am a lifelong learner, and I believe education is a gateway to really living life.
-Stacy Waters, VU Adult Basic Education Instructor
Stacy has not only been a teacher for several years, but also a Special Olympics Coach for six years. She is very passionate about the Special Olympics and has enjoyed coaching softball and basketball. Stacy was the Head Delegate for the 2016 summer games! She says she realizes that in the classroom and on the field/court, there are a lot of students who don’t have people to celebrate them. She loves being that person for them. “I go to all the graduations for my Special Olympic students and am there smiling and waving. I tell them that it is my excuse to get a new outfit! I will absolutely root my students and athletes on! Even after they hit a milestone, I want to follow them through.” We are so grateful to have Stacy on our Vincennes University Adult Education Team, teaching the students we serve as well as being one of their biggest cheerleaders. She is a top-notch educator who is using her own experiences and story to change others’ lives for the better. Thank you, Stacy, for who you are in and out of the classroom!
