Success Against The Odds
Tags: sgfdevs, sgfdevsspotlight
Published: 2024-01-02 14:06:07

The Springfield tech community knows Tiffany Ford’s professional accomplishments well. She’s the head of the Computer Information Science department, and is integral in cultivating the next generation of great tech hires in our area. Her passion for education and the opportunities it provides is clear. But how she got to be here, shows just how amazing she is. It’s a story of determination, adaptability and strength. 


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Tiffany grew up in the Ozarks. Her family owned a marina at Sunrise Beach in Lake of the Ozarks. It sounds idillic, with family from across the country coming to visit to enjoy the quiet lake life. Her dad was a boat mechanic, and may have inspired some of Tiffany’s technical interests. As boats became more and more reliant on computer systems, he was able to keep up with all of the new technologies. When he was ready to retire, he had hoped one of his daughters would take the business over. Unfortunately for him, Tiffany didn’t see herself staying at the marina forever. 

While the location and business sound ideal, family life was a bit more difficult. Her parents were going through a very messy divorce around the time Tiffany was in high school. And she found herself acting out. 

> ”I was the worst student, […] constantly cutting class and getting detention and leaving campus and getting into trouble. […] Now, you know, you look back on that and you’re like… oh yes, you definitely were acting out.”

At 17, she decided to head out on her own, without finishing high school. She spent the next couple years working fast food jobs and couch surfing. At 19, Tiffany found she was pregnant and had a baby boy.  He was born with encephalitis, meaning he was in and out of the hospital for years. Tiffany was still in the Lake of the Ozarks area, but knew it wasn’t the right place for her and her son. In 2003, a good friend offered Tiffany and her son a place to live in Springfield. And that’s how she found herself in Springfield, providing for her family by delivering pizzas at Papa Johns and not quite sure what the future held. 

Meanwhile, Tiffany’s mom pressured her to go back to school. After a while, Tiffany relented and decided to get her GED and head on to OTC.

> ”You go into admissions counseling […] and they're like ‘what do you want to job in’? I'm like ‘I don't even know. People just tell me I should be in school’. And they're like, ‘what do you like to do in your free time’? I'm like, ‘play video games and hang out on my computer and screw around on the internet’. [they say] ‘Okay cool let's put you in a programming class!’”
> 

It’s a good thing they pushed her in that direction, because after a very short time, Tiffany knew this was the right place for her. With her orderly, logical way of thinking, it just “clicked.” With OTC, she was able to put her son in the daycare and earn more money with the development skills she was learning. Things were really turning around! Soon she was working in the IT department at OTC, and the calls started coming in for her to teach. It wasn’t an immediate fit, but soon she started to see it. The lightbulbs and discovery in her students. 

> ”It sounds so cheesy now, […] ‘OTC's mission, like, we're changing lives’, but we are! Like, you take some kid like me who had a baby and no future and a GED… and you slap her into a program and suddenly she makes more money than she ever thought she would make. With a two year degree!”
> 

It didn’t take long for OTC to realize what they had in Tiffany and they decided to create a chair of the Computer Information Science department. She now coordinates all of the curriculum, promotion, and outreach as well as filling in if they need another instructor. So if you’re in the CS program at OTC… you’ve definitely seen her around. 

Coordinating a computer science department has very unique challenges. The fast-paced tech industry means the department needs to constantly be updating curriculum, hardware and continuously educating it’s teachers.

> ”Political science faculty, they can study, you know, the change of government. But it's slower. Math; that never changes. [But] we're always changing. […] what's new with .NET? What's happening with AWS? I’ve got to refresh this certification… on top of ‘I've got to prepare this class’, ‘I have to build this curriculum’, ‘I have to figure this out’, ‘I have to make these changes.’”
> 

The dynamic and ever-changing nature of computer science can sometimes feel overwhelming to seasoned developers, and it’s hard to imagine how one can manage to keep up in a semester-based school year, but Tiffany has done a fantastic job of keeping the graduates of the OTC inspired and ready for a successful career. 

Part of that success is because of the social support that Tiffany has encouraged OTC to include for years. Tiffany took on the [OTC Esports](https://students.otc.edu/esports/) program when she noticed that the students at the community college were really lacking in student life. COVID really emphasized that, and OTC finally saw what Tiffany had been trying to show them. The OTC Esports program brings students together through competitive gaming. In 2021, the [OTC Esports arena](https://students.otc.edu/esports/#facilities) was opened to students. And Tiffany’s seen amazing things come from it.

> “It's just blown my mind. What I'm watching the students do. Which is the community piece, right? Because they're meeting each other in the safe space of esports and gaming. They're finding their little tribe. And they're taking care of each other!”
> 

That’s one of the reasons Tiffany believes the college experience is so incredibly important, whether a community college like OTC, or a 4-year university. The connection is what sets it apart from other avenues. Connection to other students, faculty, and the other resources you get while getting a degree. Like attending conferences, finding topics you maybe wouldn’t have come across on your own, and building those out to new and exciting connections. 

From the self-proclaimed “worst student” to the head of a complex, ever-changing department in higher-eduction. Tiffany proves that adaptability and tenacity can take you to high places. If you are willing to put in the effort and keep your eyes open to the opportunities. The tech industry in Springfield wouldn’t be the same without Tiffany, and the future is brighter with her leadership and guidance for the next generations of tech professionals.
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