Debra Perkins

Hinds  Community College

Debra Perkins has been in adult education for over 25 years, both at Hinds Community College and with Jackson Public Schools Adult Education. She goes above and beyond her position as an Intake Specialist for one of our campuses. She supports our ESL program in all aspects, she supports our students and staff. Her knowledge of AE surpasses most. She not only ensures that our data is correct, she keeps immaculate records, and constantly runs reports to make sure everyone is functioning at their best. Much of our success is owed to her. We would be much less of a program without her knowledge and support.

​

Debra is always a team player and friendly reminder. She is the rock and the glue of not just a campus but of our department. She works hard from the moment she arrives to the minute she is leaving. She is constantly monitoring data and is our LACES queen. She is very organized and her years of experience has made her a go to for advice on technical situations that arise. She communicates regularly with her instructors with reminders about expiring scores or when someone is in need of a post test.

​

Several years ago, after many many years of faithful service, Debra's AE position was ending at another program because of the programs closure. Thankfully, our program was given the opportunity to hire her. We then moved her to one of our campuses, which was a very difficult year of transitioning all aspects of that program to a brand new campus. After finally getting back on her feet and thriving in a new environment, after just one year that campus was closed due to no fault of anyone involved. She was moved once again to a new location to start anew. Despite all of this, Debra has been a team player with a positive attitude and gone beyond the call of duty to ensure the success of our students and program.

​

She is the only data specialist in our department that takes care of three campuses, including corrections and ESL. She has to keep up with three times as many post tests and TABE scores as well as insuring everything is correct and up to date for all three campuses in LACES. Throughout her time in adult ed, she also substitutes for AE classes when the instructor has to be out. All of these responsibilities she completes happily and without complaint.

​

The most inspiring thing about Debra is her attitude. She faithfully comes every day and never shows frustration, burn out, or any negativity. She approaches every day with positivity and determination. She never has an unkind word for anyone or anything. I'm know there are days and situations that are very frustrating but she never shows it. She just keeps moving forward and taking care of business. Her attention to detail and vast knowledge has propelled her to be counted on as the lead in data updates and has been chosen to be our representative in several meetings for our college.

​

Her attitude and optimism is my absolute favorite thing about her. She handles all challenges with elegance and wisdom. She works with more staff members than several of her counterparts and handles every appointment with an open arms attitude. She always gives an encouraging word to students about keeping up their progress or just simply saying good luck before a test. Even on your craziest day or time of year Debra is the sounding board and our rock that gets us through.

​

(information above was taken directly from the nomination submission)