Lisa Lightfoot, Instructor of Accounting, has made Outreach one of her primary avenues of Professional Service. Each year she volunteers to help judge UIL (University Interscholastic League) competitions in Accounting, and by virtue of connections forged during these, has partnered with an Accounting teacher in the Sanford-Fritch ISD. Each year she makes the drive north to Fritch, where she spends a day mentoring and teaching future accountants, some of whom come to WT for their degree.
WT hosts Class 2A, 3A, and 5A district competitions, and then a regional 2A competition. Both rounds are held in the Spring. “Sanford-Fritch falls in the 2A,” she says. “Since I am in there proctoring and grading, I have seen throughout all the years how strong the Accounting kids are out of the Sanford-Fritch area. This is also a great way for them to get scholarships through this event.”
This resonated with her because it sounds a lot like her own story. “I have a huge heart for this because my background is as a first-generation college student. When I was in high school, I took a class in Accounting, and the teacher asked me if I would compete.” That’s how she had her first taste of UIL.
“Whenever I am able to proctor these exams here in UIL, I can share a little of my back story.”
Lightfoot says the competition is a great way for her to get to know the teachers. “I’ve built relationships with some of these teachers, especially the one from Fritch.” She mentions that on the day she would visit, she would lead every class session in Accounting, and thus come in contact with nearly every student in the school. “Those kids win State as a team and individually, and we’ve had great success. And now we’ve got a few of them here at WT. Most work as tutors in the Accounting lab as well.”
But Lightfoot doesn’t stop there, putting on her WT recruiter hat. She shows the students our degree checklists to let them see how easy it would be to transition into college life here with their dual credit classes. Many of those students will also be first-generation college students in their family, and Lightfoot feels a special bond with them because of her own experiences.
The competitions are rigorous, and for most teams, students cannot finish the exam and sometimes wind up guessing answers. “But those Sanford-Fritch kids, they can finish it and can do so without guessing. They truly have an answer for what they are doing. Their scores are so much higher,” she gleams.
Lightfoot’s efforts at Sanford-Fritch are time well spent, and she is able to see the results every time one of those students matriculates at WT.