Tera Waddell has spent the majority of her adult life raising and homeschooling her children. Now, her youngest is a senior in high school, and Tera has decided it’s time to continue her own education.
“It’s my turn,” she said. “I devoted myself to my family and to my homeschooling adventure. Now it’s time for me to figure out what I’m going to do next. I’m starting this next chapter at South Piedmont.”
Tera, 49, a resident of Indian Trail, took a few college classes shortly after her own high school graduation. Then she went to work for a bank, and not long after, she was married and started a family. She and her husband have three children, who now range in age from 17 to 25.
For nearly two decades, Tera was a full-time mom and homeschool teacher. As part of her homeschool curriculum, she encouraged each of her children to earn college credit while in high school. Her two oldest children earned their associate degrees at South Piedmont, as did her husband. Her youngest child is dual enrolled at South Piedmont through the Career and College Promise program.
“My youngest and I went to South Piedmont’s Open House last fall, and I picked up a flyer about the Associate in Arts in a Year program. Going back to college was always on my bucket list. It was something I held as a personal goal,” she said.
“I thought, ‘I could do this. It’s just one year.’”
The Associate in a Year program allows students to earn an Associate in Arts degree, which would normally take two years, in just 12 months. Applications for the spring 2025 semester are now being accepted; the deadline is Oct. 1. Request more information about the Associate in a Year program here.
Now, she and her youngest daughter, Naomi, are students at South Piedmont together. Tera is on track to graduate with her Associate in Arts in a Year in late 2024. Tera will dedicate her graduation to her cousin, Becky Yates, who died in December 2023 at age 51.
“She was a teacher at a university. She was so smart. She is my inspiration,” Tera said.
The Associate in Arts in a Year program has been challenging, but Tera has enjoyed every moment of the experience, from the classes to how she’s changed as a person.
“My confidence level has grown. There have times when I thought, ‘How am I going to do this?’ I’ve been able to do things I never thought I could do,” she said.
Tera isn’t sure what comes next for her after she graduates. She may go on to pursue a four-year degree or she may re-enter the workforce. Whatever she does, she’ll do it knowing she is a role model not only for her family but for anyone considering returning to college later in life.
“This half of my life, I want to feel it, experience it. I want it to be meaningful. I want something to come out of this,” she said.
“What would I say to other parents thinking of going back to school? It is OK to do something for yourself. You spend your life doing for others. Take time to give back to yourself.”