Cristal Campbell

Campbell began working toward her high school equivalency diploma in 2020 as a referral from drug court. As she isn’t hesitant to share, Campbell’s life story has included a bad marriage, unfortunate peer associations, substance addiction and the loss of jobs, homes and relationships with friends and family. “It might help people who were in my situation to see that God can change your life after substance and spousal abuse and just not living right,” Campbell said.

 

She struggled in the beginning with diminished ability to retain information, had some test failures and even dropped out of the program. However, with the help of church friends and through Bible studies, she realized that when she focused on one subject at a time with much repetition and immersion in that material, she was able to better retain information.

 

Campbell reenrolled in 2022, just as newly appointed instructor and nominator, Amy Emerson, joined the class. Emerson said that when she walked into the first class, she was “as green as a gourd and a little nervous” at the prospect of teaching adults as opposed to traditional school-age students. Campbell was the first student she met, and her welcoming smile and joyful spirit made Emerson immediately feel at ease. Emerson described Campbell as a “mainstay of the class, not only learning, but helping others as well.” Soon, Campbell was ready to try testing again, and quickly began achieving excellent scores. The math test proved to be the most difficult and required Campbell to remember her “no quitting” mantra.  “Finally, after extra tutoring, lots of prayer and much math repetition, Campbell destroyed the math beast in October 2023,” Emerson said.

 

Campbell and her husband, Mitchell, attend the Open Door Worship Center in Fulton. In addition to always helping others, she leads a support group for women and distributes church invitation flyers. She enjoys visiting with her children (Phillip Rhyne/Tiffany and Jonathan/Krysta) and her grandchildren (Jackson, Kennedy, Sutton and Fallon).