Tunisha Potter

College advisor Tunisha Potter knows first-hand what some of her students are going through – because she’s been there herself.

After graduating from Westinghouse High School in 2000, Tunisha moved to Texas with her mom. She was already a mom to a two-year old, and so community college was the best option for her. It was there that she discovered what she wanted to do with her own career.

“When I was at the community college, I had a lot of encouragement and support from the counselors there. I wanted to do the same thing for others,” she said.

So once she earned her associate degree, she transferred to Texas A&M, where she earned a Bachelor’s of Applied Arts in Human Relations (Psychology and Sociology), then a Master’s of Arts in Counseling. She worked as an administrative assistant while she went to school, then decided to join AmeriCorps where she had the opportunity to work in various non-profits. After that, she spent three years advising students in the community college she had attended.

Eventually, she was homesick and decided to move back to Chicago with her now three children. In her own words, she “wanted to come back to serve the community I grew up in, and encourage the people I grew up with to do more.”

She’s happy to be at Kennedy-King College, advising a wide range of students, from Star scholars right out of high school, to adult career changers.

“I love that it’s diverse population at Kennedy-King. I love that our students are resilient. I love that the staff is understanding and sympathetic. Most of all, I love working with these students because they remind me of me. I remember when I was trying to come back to school, but had my family and I am able to give them encouragement – if I can do it, so can you,” she explained.

A favorite quote adorns her bulletin board and she often points to it as she reminds students not to just focus on the end goal, but on the steps it will take them to get there: “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

It seems like Tunisha has really found her calling, saying “it’s important to do what you love. I don’t feel like I work at all because I’m truly doing what I love.”