LCCC Stalcup winner finds fulfilling life through service

Addy Tucker was thinking about practical concerns when she applied to Laramie County Community College.

Addy, a homemaker who took most of her classes online, wanted to earn a degree that could lead to stability and security for her and her husband. LCCC was close to home, affordable and offered the business and accounting program she wanted to pursue.

She did not expect it to change the way she saw herself or her sense of community. The education beyond the classroom, she said, was the real reward. 

“I thought I was just going to get an education,” Addy said. “Instead, I discovered a very fulfilling life.”

When Addy graduates with an associate degree in May, she’ll also be leaving as this year’s recipient of the Jan and W.M. Stalcup Graduate Excellence Award. The annual award not only recognizes students who have achieved academically, but also those who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the LCCC or Cheyenne community. Recipients are given a cash award, free of any restrictions — Addy can use the money however she sees fit.  

Jan and W.M. Stalcup established the award because of their belief in the transformative power of education and the value of recognizing students whose impact reaches beyond the classroom.

For Addy, that impact has grown from a lifetime instinct toward service.

She grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii, where she graduated from high school and took some college courses. Addy’s life changed remarkably when a friend invited her to visit Colorado, which turned into a move. Addy met her husband in Colorado, and the couple relocated to Wyoming in 2020.

Addy previously pursued early childhood education, worked with young children, volunteered with nonprofits and later served through her church. Service, she said, always felt like a natural part of her life day-to-day. 

“I have always felt that I had a servant’s heart from the very beginning,” Addy said.

Before moving to Colorado, Addy helped care for her grandfather, who had dementia. The experience reinforced her belief that people need advocates, especially when they cannot easily speak for themselves.

“There’s nothing that beats the advocacy of someone who really knows you,” Addy said.

At LCCC, however, Addy originally expected to keep her head down and finish her degree. With her husband working and the couple sharing one car, online courses made sense. Years spent at home also led to some social anxiety. 

A Strategies for Success course helped change that. Whenever she could, Addy attended class in person because she knew she needed some kind of connection. (As a HyFlex student, Addy could choose to attend her classes face-to-face, online when the class meets or watch the class online anytime.) Carole Boughton, Business & Accounting Pathway coordinator and instructor, took notice of Addy’s qualities that could lead to success. 

“She somehow knew there was someone who really wanted to be involved and really wanted to help and make a difference,” Addy said.

Carole’s encouragement led to Addy joining Rotaract, a Rotary-affiliated service club at LCCC. She became deeply involved in campus and community work; before long, she was the club’s president.

With Addy at the helm, the club helped organize and support campus and community food drives, fundraising for global health efforts, free pancake breakfasts, helping with Rotary blood drives, Rotary networking opportunities and other service projects. Additionally, she represented LCCC at local Rotary meetings, Rotary Learning Institute and Rotary’s President Conference in Colorado.

For Addy, Rotaract’s connection to Rotary’s “service above self” approach fit naturally with her values. But one of her biggest lessons came from watching other students respond when they were given real opportunities to serve.

“I’ve been blown away by how much people want to serve and get involved if you give them that opportunity and you share that enthusiasm with them,” Addy said.

When she learned she had received the Stalcup Award, Addy said was grateful and surprised, partly because she had not realized people across the college had noticed her work.

“I had no idea that people thought that I actually made an impact,” Addy said. “I don’t do it for some sort of recognition.”

At the same time, the recognition came when she needed encouragement. The daily grind can be a lot, but the accolade gave her the boost Addy needed to finish the semester. 

“To get that recognition was just, I couldn’t believe it,” she said.

After graduation, Addy plans to transfer to the University of Wyoming and continue her studies online while staying in Cheyenne, ultimately hoping to be a Certified Public Accountant. 

The exact career path is still unfolding. Addy said she knows one day her commitment to service will lead her back to Hawaii to help her parents in their elderly years. 

But for now, Cheyenne is home. Addy plans to stay involved with Rotary, continue serving through her church and remain connected to the community she has grown to love.

The decisions Addy made while walking the dog with her husband turned out to be bigger than she understood at the time, she reflected. LCCC offered the practical path she needed, but learning her true potential was the real reward.

“I thought so small when I applied to LCCC,” Addy said. “I thought only of the practicality of it. I didn’t realize the sheer amount of potential that school had.”