Sharon Cullins, who was recently awarded the historical Eggleston-Osborne Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship, named in memory of two African-American teachers in Haywood County during the 1930s, points to 2005 as the year her life took a drastic change in a positive direction.

She was 42 years old that year.

“Up until that point, I had made some unhealthy decisions which led to dysfunctional living,” she began.

She said Jerry Presnell, a probation officer with Haywood County Community Corrections, made an inspiring comment to her during that time that spliced her life into two categories – the dark past and the bright future.

“Jerry looked at me that day and said, ‘The past is your past and what matters is what you are going to do from today forward,’” she recalled. “I never forgot that ...