Sharp to graduate from Dalton State College, fulfilling dream

May 12—More than 30 years ago, Alessandra "Ali" Sharp had to drop out of college.

"I had a young child to support," she said. "I needed some income. I needed to get a job. But I always said I would go back. It was important for me to do that."

This Sunday, Sharp will walk across the stage at Dalton State College's graduation ceremony, where she will receive her bachelor's degree in social work, fulfilling that dream.

"When I went to college the first time, after high school, I ended up with a 1.7 grade point average," she said. "When I went back, I was determined to get that GPA up. In every class I took, 32 classes, I got As, and I'm going to graduate summa cum laude."

She said she has learned adversity is sometimes God's way of giving us great gifts.

"Sometimes in life, the journey may be longer than you anticipated and take you places you didn't expect," she said. "But if you keep trying you can reach your destination."

Sharp, 51, was born in Chattanooga and moved to Dalton when she was 10.

"My dad was a surgeon, and my mom had two college degrees, but she was primarily a stay-at-home mom," Sharp said. "My parents got divorced, and my mom married a man from Dalton and we moved here when I was in fifth grade."

When she was 15, Sharp became pregnant.

"I was a sophomore in high school," she said. "It was a serious and unexpected event in my life. But it turned out for the good, and not just because I got a wonderful child. Being a parent really grounds you and changes you."

After she found out she was pregnant she and her boyfriend got married.

"I got married before my parents found out I was pregnant," she said. "We went to Ringgold to get married."

She said her parents and stepparents were concerned but supportive.

"They were always in my life. We were always close," she said. "But they also took the position that I had to be responsible and do this on my own. When I got married, we moved into government-funded housing, and I lived there for 11 years."

She said dropping out of high school was never an option.

"That was not something my parents said, that was what I decided," she said.

She gave birth to her son between her sophomore and junior years at Dalton High School.

"I was so fortunate, it was like God had mapped it out for me," she said. "But Dalton High School had just begun its Second Chance program, which was the first program in Whitfield and Murray counties to help keep teen mothers in school. He (her son) stayed in that program until I graduated Dalton High School. I graduated with my class and on time."

When she was 19 she and her first husband divorced.

"We are still friends," she said. "It's still a cordial relationship. He will be at my graduation party."

But she was now a single mom and needed a job. She found one at the Dalton office of the Georgia Division of Child Support Services.

"I was there 27 years," she said. "I retired in August."

In 2015 she began dating Robbie Sharp, whom she had first met in fifth grade.

"We knew each other all those years," she said. "We were friends but we never dated. We dated for about a year and got married in 2016."

She credits Robbie for encouraging her to go back to school.

"I've always wanted to be a family therapist," she said. "My mom worked in counseling for a while. My stepmom was a therapist, and my dad is now a therapist. I knew that was the direction I wanted to go. As I was getting closer to retirement, my husband told me 'You need to do this.'"

For three years she worked full time and was a full-time student.

"I had to do an internship this year, and still had classes," she said. "Something had to give, so I retired."

She did her internship with Suzanne Hooie, minster of missions and spiritual formation at Dalton First Baptist Church, in the church's benevolence program, which provides temporary, emergency funding for utility bills, housing and other needs.

"She has worked 15 hours a week with us for the past school year," Hooie said. "She has a real heart for serving others. She's going to be an amazing asset to this community when she finishes her training."

Sharp begins a master's program in social work through Valdosta State College this fall. After she completes that, she will begin three years of supervised social work. Then she will be eligible to sit for the exam to become a licensed clinical social worker, a social worker able to work independently with patients in a clinical setting.

Tammy Rice, program director and assistant professor of social work at Dalton State, called Sharp "a dedicated, hardworking student."

"She completed her senior practicum experience with First Baptist Church in their outreach program, assisting community members in need of assistance with the challenges of homelessness, economic marginalization and other socioeconomic hardships," Rice said. "She was a caring and compassionate student, eager to learn and grow in her skills and integration of the values and ethics of our profession. We are all very proud of her hard work and look forward to watching her grow as a professional and continue to work to make a difference in the lives of others."

Assistant Professor Steven W. Cooper said what is most notable about Sharp is "her desire to make everyone feel welcome, included and supported."

"Alessandra has a tremendous amount of warmth and genuineness when interacting with her peers, and it is easy to see that she makes an intentional effort to be a kind and caring person to everyone she encounters," he said. "We are lucky to have been able to have her, and we are excited to see the great things she does."

Sharp said she advises those who didn't get to go to college or who dropped out of college not to give up their dreams.

"Dalton State College is very affordable," she said. "I went to college full time and studied full time, but you don't have to do that. and I can't say enough about the social work program. The professors are amazing. Every professor I had wanted their students to succeed and did all they could to help them."