Ten years ago, Tiffany McLaney walked across the stage of Opp High School, and last night she walked with pride across the stage to earn a degree from LBWCC.

“I started in 2004,” she said. “But things didn’t work out.”

Wanting to contribute to her family, McLaney decided to step up and go back to school to pursue a degree in office administration with a medical option.

“I like the technical college because it is time earned not time served,” she said. “It prepares you for the job. You gain experience, and you can legitimately say you have experience when you get done. That’s why it’s so important.”

It’s that experience that landed her a job as a registrar at Mizell Memorial Hospital.

“It’s awesome,” she said. “I like working for folks, and I really enjoy the face-to-face time. I like to communicate with people, help people and I enjoy computers.”

McLaney said she enjoys being able to help people.

“It really does me good to have people smiling when they leave,” she said.

The second time around in school hasn’t come without hardship.

“Last February, I had an accident and I was not able to go to school for six months,” she said.

Despite her setback, McLaney graduated with multiple honors.

“I didn’t think I was smart enough,” she said.

McLaney said she’s considering going back to school to study computer science.

Eventually, she’d like to work for the Veteran’s Administration.

“I love veterans,” she said.

McLaney said that LBWCC is an “awesome little school to help people find jobs.”