04/06/2020
Meet THERESA WHITLOCK-WILD, NIC alumna and co-founder of Matt’s Place, a local nonprofit created to assist people with ALS. Seven years ago, Theresa decided to find her passion. She stepped onto NIC’s campus to earn a new career at the age of 34, with a family of three. Shortly after she began her studies her husband was diagnosed with ALS. She says she was intimidated, out of her comfort zone, and certain she would be the oldest in her class.
Theresa laughed as she shared a memory of her first class. “I look around the classroom, realized I was not the oldest and thought ‘this is going to be really cool!’”
On the advice of a sage instructor, Josh Misner, she eventually changed her declared major to Communication. She transferred to Lewis-Clark State College locally with her AA and earned her bachelor's degree in communication. She did all of this with no student loan debt.
Theresa continued on to Gonzaga University, where she completed her masters in Organizational Leadership last spring. That was also the month her eldest daughter, Richelle Duffield, graduated from Lake City high school. Richelle will be attending NIC in the Fall of 2020. Theresa says "The term ‘community college’ should not imply a lesser education. I am very proud she will attend NIC. It makes good sense”
To learn more about Theresa’s efforts to bring accessibility and dignity to those in our region battling ALS while providing assistance to families, go to www.mattsplacefoundation.com.
