English Assistant Professor Susie Potter reacts to something written by one of her Creative Writing I students. (Matthew Burns/Wake Tech)

Susie Potter wept after her first class in college, convinced she didn't belong and would let her family and others down.

"Everybody else in class looked so smart and at ease," Potter recalls. "I was terrified. I was sure I wasn't smart enough to succeed."

But her teachers wouldn't let her fail, she says, providing the encouragement she needed to gain the self-confidence required to complete her bachelor's degree. Potter, an assistant professor in the English Department, now tries to provide that kind of support to Wake Tech students.

"Failure shouldn't define you," she tells one of her classes while discussing short- and long-term goals. "When you try something new, it may take some time to figure it out. Just keep trying. The only thing that matters is if you give up, so don't let anything stand in your way."

Potter hasn't let the numerous hardships and failures she's experienced define her. As a child, she lived in homeless shelters and temporary housing for a year after her mother fled an abusive relationship. Later, she was unsuccessful in two attempts to get into the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program at North Carolina State University, and she still has the manuscripts for several novels she's written at home that publishers have rejected.

But she turned each of these challenges into an opportunity. Her difficult childhood taught her patience, adaptability and how to get along with all kinds of people, she says, and she sometimes explores it in her writing. Meanwhile, not getting into the MFA program allowed her to purse master's degrees in both English and teaching.

"I've had to deal with a lot, but it's all taught me to be grateful for the opportunities I've had," she said.

When she learned a fellow student in her master's program was an adjunct instructor at Wake Tech, Potter immediately started scanning Wake Tech job listings for openings. She worked two years as an adjunct in both English and what is now the Academic Foundations Department before becoming a full-time faculty member in 2015.

"I looked up to teachers so much. I thought being a college professor was the best job possible," she said.

Potter prefers teaching at a community college like Wake Tech to working at a four-year university, saying the diverse student body is inspiring.

"We've got all ages, all walks of life," she said. "It's an equal-access opportunity, and that's what education should be: a chance to better yourself."

Potter brings an infectious upbeat attitude to her classes, joking with students and sharing bits of her personal life to help them relax, open up and feel self-confident.

"I love building relationships with students. Seeing them be successful makes me a better teacher," she said.

Cooper Voss-Seiler says he wanted to improve his story-telling skills for videogames as he pursues a Simulation & Game Development degree, and he knew he hit the jackpot when he walked into Potter's Creative Writing I class.

"There are some classes where you just know from the start that you're going to learn," Voss-Seiler said. "She's not only passionate about the subject, she cares about the students and wants us to grow as people."

Kenny Holderfield, who returned to college looking to start a career in engineering after years in the tattoo business, says he appreciates that Potter takes time to explain details of assignments to students.

"We know exactly what we're supposed to do and how we're supposed to do it," he said.

In addition to her class load, Potter serves as a coach with the Academic Coaches for English Students program. ACES provides support to students who need or want extra support with their writing in introductory English classes, and she says it's a favorite part of her job.

"So many of them struggle with the same things," she said. "They lack confidence or have trouble breaking down assignments. A lot just want someone to talk to."

Potter says her own experiences make it easier for her to relate to the challenges many Wake Tech students face. And she offers a vibrant example that overcoming difficulties can open a world of possibilities: In addition to teaching and writing, she takes ballet lessons, figure skates competitively and occasionally does a 24-hour run through the woods.

"I'm in a much better place than where I started out, and I owe it all to education," she said. "I want my students to value their independence and creative-thinking ability, which is a type of freedom in itself, that an education can ultimately give them."