Taryn Spicer, a college dropout who "lost her way" after moving from home and then having to deal with the death of her father, found Guilford Technical Community College to be a place for a second chance for success, she said.

Spicer has responded very well and is on her way to earning a two-year degree. She is a general arts student and a pre-psychology major.

She also has given back to the college by becoming a role model for "all of the kids on the basketball team," said Coach Bobby Allison. "She has done things the right way," he said. "Taryn is a great leader."

Spicer attributes GTCC providing her a scholarship and helping her get back on track with her education after she dropped out of the University of Waterloo in her native Canada. The athletic scholarships are available through the GTCC Foundation, which also is responsible for raising funds for many academic scholarships.

"The Foundation has been really supportive since I enrolled at GTCC," Spicer said. "The Foundation definitely helped me return to college," she said.

Her father, James Spicer, a parole officer, died of cancer. "I was coping with the death of my father who was a huge support for me with school and basketball," she said. Spicer lost interest in attending college, she said.

Not only did she lose her father from her close-knit family, but five other members of the family within four years, she said. Her life became an emotional roller coaster.

Spicer enrolled at Waterloo University after graduating from Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School north of Toronto. Eight months after her father passed away, Spicer moved to Toronto, but was still close enough to spend time with her mother and her maternal grandparents who were "very supportive," she said. "My mom and I are very close," Spicer said.

It was during a visit to Greensboro six years later to see a friend that Spicer met Allison. He offered her an opportunity to revive her interest in earning a college degree.

Spicer spent her first year at GTCC as a "red-shirt" member of the women's basketball team. In the season just ended, Allison credits Spicer as "the glue that kept everything together. She is almost like a mothering figure to many of the players."

Spicer started all 31 games for the Lady Titans, a team that compiled a 23-8 record. The team's second leading rebounder said she "really enjoyed being coached by Bobby Allison. He is a wonderful coach; I learned so much from him.

"I enjoyed playing basketball again."

Spicer isn't sure what she wants to do as a career. "I want to explore my options," she said. But she knows her short-range goal is to be an assistant coach to Allison next season.

"Taryn will be perfect as an assistant coach," Allison said. "She has really found her way back and that is a tribute to her character," he said.

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