Tasha Hairston is a native of Martinsville, VA, who graduated with highest honors with an AAS degree in Early Childhood Education from Patrick Henry Community College. She is currently a Junior at Mary Baldwin College, majoring in Business Administration, with a minor in Education, to reach her long-term goal of opening a quality Early Childhood Program. She looks forward to teaching Early Elementary grades in Charlottesville or Albemarle County.

"My decision to become a teacher did not occur to me until after high school but I always knew that I wanted to work with children in some way. I would say that many events inspired me to pursue a teaching career, but the crucial one was when I began working with a six year old girl who had cerebral palsy. Despite her disabilities, this little girl was constantly trying to do her best every day that she was blessed to be alive. It was a reward in itself when her face lit up because she finally understood what I was trying to show her.

"The second event was a negative one, but it encouraged me to make a difference. While volunteering in a kindergarten class, I met a little girl who was developmentally delayed. Her parents did not encourage her and her teacher didn't possess sufficient patience to let her 'catch up' with the rest of the class. This was counter to my belief that every child deserves the same high quality education, no matter what type of background they come from and it strengthened my decision to become a teacher."