When Tessa Guinn was in high school, she never thought she’d end up staying near her hometown.

“I was actually an exchange student my senior year, and I always figured as soon as I was done with school, I would be moving to Europe or something,” she said. “But then I met my husband and then started working in education, and I love it.”

The daughter of a ranching family in Hollister, in southern Idaho, Guinn will graduate today along with more than 900 other students from Lewis-Clark State College before starting her new position as the new fourth-grade teacher in Castleford, Idaho.

An elementary education major with a minor in special education, Guinn worked with professors who said she demonstrated a passion for her students and strong leadership qualities from the beginning.

“Inclusion of all students truly makes a difference,” said L-C Associate Professor Teresa Carmack. “Even though we’ve talked about inclusion for decades, it does not happen as much as it should. I know Tessa is going to be one of those teachers that goes out there and really does include her students.”

Guinn, who has been working under supervision as a teacher in Castleford, said building relationships with her students and helping them wrangle tough material has been rewarding.

“My favorite is when they’ve been struggling with something for so long, and then you just see it click,” she said. “It’s very noticeable when they start to understand.”

Though Guinn’s mother also worked as a teacher, Guinn said she originally started school as a nursing major.

“I couldn’t do the chemistry,” she joked. “Every aptitude test I’d ever taken had nursing or teaching. So I decided to try teaching. And I fell in love with it.”

Guinn completed her bachelor’s degree as an online student through the concurrent enrollment program between LCSC and the College of Southern Idaho, of Twin Falls.

Carmack said although that elementary-education CSI program has been phased out, Guinn still did the work to make sure she finished her bachelor’s through LCSC.

“We’re just really proud of her for being able to meet those challenges and work right through them and be able to finish,” Carmack said.

In a letter recommending Guinn for the 2024 Provost Award, which is given to a high-achieving student who earned the majority of her degree credits through online coursework, Carmack noted Guinn’s grade-point average of 4.0 and dedication to the families she works with.

“Tessa is a true lifelong learner and will serve as a positive role model for her students and her community,” Carmack wrote.

Guinn said LCSC’s online courses allowed her to begin teaching in her community and building connections there while receiving her education.

“I really love the community that I live in,” she said. “Getting to give back to them in that way of helping teach the future generation of kiddos is just very rewarding.”

Carmack said Guinn’s work in special education will also help her serve all her students and accommodate individual needs.

“A lot of times when students are struggling, if they get the right accommodations, they will also be able to excel in the content and not have to go into special education,” Carmack said.

Guinn said she first got interested in special education while working for a counseling agency that contracted with schools and worked with children that have developmental delays.

In the future, Guinn said, she is considering pursuing further education so she could provide Applied Behavior Analysis therapy, which is used to help children with developmental disorders.

“I would want to go more into the ABA therapy route, and working with kids one-on-one in schools,” she said. “It is definitely underserved, especially in rural schools.”

Sun may be contacted at rsun@lmtribune.com or on Twitter at @Rachel_M_Sun. This report is made in partnership with Northwest Public Broadcasting, the Lewiston Tribune and the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.