Chance Goodwin

Associate in Arts

Chance Goodwin was born North Bend, Wash., and moved to the Yakima Valley when he was five years old. Following high school he enrolled at Yakima Valley College in fall 2019 to pursue a degree in English language and literature. Raised by a single mother who worked hard to provide for her family, Goodwin credits her with motivating him to succeed.

“If I am to be honest, I am not motivated by the money or the illustrious titles I could hold. I am motivated by making my mother happy and providing for her after all she has gone through for me. This is my chance to take care of her, as she had done for me all of her life as a single mother. Growing up, I may not have been born into the life of a middle class or high class family, but those are the things that do not bother me,” stated Goodwin.

While taking English 101 & 102 courses Goodwin often visited the college’s writing center and was inspired by the writing tutors he observed. The passion of his instructor, Kristy Webster, also helped guide him and he discovered his love of English language and literature. Wanting to help other students who were struggling, he completed the center’s training for tutors and was assigned to help students who were having difficulty with their essays.

His goal as a tutor is to help students overcome the feeling that they can’t become better writers.

“My main strategy for helping these students in need was to help them see the fun in writing. I explained to them that not every paper can be created equal, and writing is a great opportunity to express their true feelings towards the matter of the subject,” he continued.

In addition to tutoring, Goodwin has also been involved with the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) student club. PTK has provided support to Goodwin and qualified him for various scholarships.

Off campus, Goodwin helps support his mother’s small business selling custom decorated furniture and delivering it to customers.

Goodwin will graduate in the summer with a transfer degree. He plans to transfer to Heritage University and pursue a bachelor’s and later master’s degree in English language and literature. Although, his future aspirations or still unclear, Goodwin hopes to continue to work towards making the world a better place. Perhaps through writing new books, becoming a historian or a teacher, or through telling engaging stories through cinema.

Wherever Goodwin’s aspirations take him, he aims to help his community.

“I try to help almost every person that I come across these days,” Goodwin said, “and I hope that my friendly demeanor can rub off on some that reside within my community, because I hope that we can all make the world a better place.”