Meet Lauren Thompson

Whitworth Cadre One
'07 Graduate (B.A. Elementary Education)
Henry Foss High School '03

The call to teach

In the book of Ephesians when Paul speaks to the church about the various gifts and callings given by God, he is urging predestined apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors to capitalize on their strengths. Also on Paul's list, the gift of teaching, is a blessing for which Lauren Thompson has learned to take full responsibility.

A small girl with a big dream

"My dream is to teach that kid that everyone has given up on," Lauren will tell you expressing a passion so enormous that only God himself could squeeze it into such a small young lady. Lauren believes that all children are full of potential and it is a teacher's job to unlock that potential, even if it means doing things differently than we have in the past. She desires to use this passion and the way she sees children to impact the way teachers lead their classrooms.

Southern roots

Lauren wasn't always so passionate or confident in her gift. Once a shy student at Henry Foss High School in Tacoma who called Charleston, South Carolina home, not Tacoma, she excelled in the classroom, but spent most of her time with her family and church. This strange new city, to Lauren, was not a part of who she was and she had no real desire to change that. She was most interested in her family and she figured that one day she they would all be together again back home.

A teacher among a world of questions

As an Act Six scholar at Whitworth, away from Tacoma, away from her family, something changed in Lauren. She began to grow and develop as a leader and her passion for others began to expand. She worked part-time with the Whitworth admissions office recruiting minority students as well as at the Whitworth Presbyterian daycare caring for children very different from her younger brothers and sisters. At work she found her place among questions like "Why would a black student choose Whitworth?" and "Mrs. Lauren, do you celebrate Kwanzaa instead of Christmas?" Not that she learned all the answers; Lauren learned to appreciate her unique gift of being a teacher to anyone willing to ask a question.

A black woman president

As a student at Whitworth, Lauren has been a part of making a difference on the Whitworth campus. Lauren gives credit to the Act Six program for seeing leadership ability in her and challenging her to fulfill her potential. In her sophomore year of college, she took on the burden of leading an almost nonexistent Black Student Union and serving as the president for two years. Under her leadership, the club managed to organize and put on its traditional campus wide events such as the BSU Annual Soul Food Dinner and the Annual Gospel Explosion. Lauren has also been able to bring her unique perspective to the classroom and impact the views of her classmates.

Ready to teach

Through her experience in the Act Six Program, Lauren gained confidence and experience that has changed the way she views her gift and passion of teaching. She describes herself as a future teacher with "big dreams." Though at times she considered going to a big city like Chicago or D.C. to make a difference, as an Act Six scholar she has learned that she can make a difference wherever. In the meantime, she is seeking to use her gifts and passions to make a difference as a teacher in Tacoma.

Read the latest on Lauren's journey after Act Six in this
Whitworth College of Education press release.

Learn More

• Meet More Scholars