Tiffany Alston-Morgan, ABC Focus Program

Our Golden Apple Award winner is a remarkable young woman. She isn't your typical teacher, but Tiffany Alston-Morgan has a gift for helping students in the ABC Focus program get their GED's.

The Action for a Better Community FOCUS program is about more than getting a GED. It's helping people find jobs, or helping a young mother like Tiffany Alston-Morgan find her path.

Focus Program Coordinator Shawn Futch explains the mission. "Whatever it is that you need to make you better, to make you self sufficient, that's what it's about."

Alston-Morgan came to FOCUS for help, she's now a teacher. They saw something special in her. "That spark" says Shawn. "You know she wanted it. She wanted whatever she could get, she wanted to move forward. Nothing was holding her back."

Christian Gibson was inspired by Tiffany's drive. "Once I came here I knew I was ready. I knew I was ready man. A lot changed when I met Tiffany. Like I didn't doubt myself as much as I did before. Because once I tried to doubt myself she looked at me in my face and said you can't because I've been there before."

If the Golden Apple Award is about teaching people to believe in themselves and help them succeed, then Tiffany Alston-Morgan is deserving. "You can do whatever you put your mind to" she says. "You're gonna get a lot of doors closed, but if you can be determined there will be a window that comes and you just climb on in and seize the opportunity."

Tiffany says her students motivate her to help her community. "They gave me an opportunity and I just feel like I can be a blessing and give others the opportunity because everybody needs help. And I'm glad they didn't close the door on me."

Tiffany Alston-Morgan is a News 8 Golden Apple Award winner. If you look below you can read the letter Christian wrote to us nominating her.

Dear News 8,

I feel like my GED teacher Tiffany Alston-Morgan is an outstanding teacher because honestly if it wasn't for her words of inspiration and her ways of teaching I wouldn't be where I am today.

She has never led me down the wrong road and if it wasn't for her constantly letting me know "I can do it, I can do it" then I probably wouldn't be on this website. She teaches math, honestly, better to me then any other high school teacher that I've ever had or known. So please let her be a Golden Apple Award winner because to me and a lot of others she deserves it.

Sincerely,

Christian Gibson