From GTCC student to Guilford County teacher: Arlisa Gordon builds a career in education

“GTCC taught me how to be persistent and to keep going when life was tough,” said Gordon.

For Arlisa Gordon, working with children has never felt like a choice. It has always felt like a calling.

Today, Gordon teaches first grade at Oak View Elementary School in High Point. Her journey to the classroom began at Guilford Technical Community College, a step that laid the foundation for her bachelor's and master's degrees and for her lifelong dedication to serving children.

Born in Dothan, Alabama, Gordon moved to High Point at age three. After high school, she entered the Army and served just under two years before receiving an honorable discharge. Her mother had been growing progressively ill, and Gordon was also expecting a child. Coming home was the right decision for her family and gave her the opportunity to pursue a path she had always envisioned.

Back in High Point, she returned to what she had always loved: working with children. Her years spent in childcare centers and schools showed her the powerful impact that caring educators can have on a child’s life.

“I have always worked with children, from day cares to school systems,” Gordon said. “That’s what led me to study early childhood education.”

When it came time to continue her own education, GTCC felt like a natural choice. Through television commercials and colleagues who had attended, she learned about the college. More importantly, it offered her a way to turn her passion for working with children into a career.

At GTCC, Gordon immersed herself in her studies. She earned two associate degrees in early childhood education and general education, along with multiple certificates and a diploma.

The program’s hands-on approach gave Gordon the opportunity to connect classroom concepts to real-world educational settings.

“It was an awesome experience to be able to apply what we were learning in our classes at GTCC,” she said.

Faculty members, such as early childhood education instructor Amy Huffman, made a lasting difference in Gordon’s experience.

“They took time with me after class and explained information that I needed more assistance on,” Gordon said.

Above all, Gordon said GTCC helped her develop the persistence and confidence that would guide her through every stage of her educational journey.

“GTCC taught me how to be persistent and to keep going when life was tough,” she said.

After graduating from GTCC in 2008, Gordon transferred to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal studies in 2012. She attended classes at night while working full time and raising her family as a single mother. At one point, she and her daughter were enrolled in college at the same time.

For Gordon, earning her bachelor's degree was not the end of her educational journey.

She went on to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching years later through the PREPARE program, a collaboration between NC A&T, High Point University, and Guilford County Schools, graduating in 2020.

Today, Gordon has spent 10 years as a teacher assistant with Guilford County Schools, taught kindergarten for five years, and now teaches first grade at Oak View Elementary School. The instructional strategies she first practiced at GTCC remain central to her approach in the classroom.

“GTCC prepared me by allowing me to complete task analysis for scholars who might need step-by-step instructions on how to complete everyday tasks in the classroom,” Gordon said. “It also prepared me to successfully complete papers at a four-year university.”

For students considering their own educational journey, her advice is grounded in the same mindset that carried her through. 

“The advice that I would give to someone considering attending GTCC is to first make long-term and short-term goals,” Gordon said. “The long-term goal is to graduate from GTCC. To get there, you must make and execute short-term goals.”