For Shawn Tenace, the path to becoming a teacher wasn’t straightforward. It was a long journey shaped by faith, service, and self-discovery.

From his small town roots in upstate New York, to 24 years in the U.S. Army, and finally, to the classroom. His life reflects the belief that every person deserves to feel worthy. 

Growing up as the youngest of seven children, Tenace’s childhood was full of love but not luxury. His mother worked tirelessly as a secretary to support her large family.

“She never made much money, but I felt rich,” said Tenace. His parents divorced when he was a young child, it turned out to be one of the best things that happened to him, giving him new perspectives and opportunities.

Sports and art filled his high school years, with basketball becoming his passion. After he graduated he started to attend college, but it didn’t go so well and he eventually dropped out. However, it led him to enlist in the U.S. Army, a decision that would completely shape his life. 

In the Army, Tenace discovered a new kind of teaching.

“I taught, but not in a traditional way,” he said. As he rose through the ranks, from enlisted soldier to officer to special forces, he found himself guiding others: teaching navigation, planning tactics, and even training soldiers in foreign countries. Leadership and instruction became inseparable parts of his military life. The Army taught him discipline, structure, and purpose, lessons that would later define his approach to education.

His first true classroom experience came at West Point, where he taught boxing. That was the spark, the moment he realized he loved helping others grow, both physically and mentally.

After retiring from the military in 2011, Tenace wanted to take his life in a new direction. He earned a masters degree in education and began volunteering with hospice care in Wake County, sitting with people in their final days.

“Being there for people at the end of life gave me a sense of purpose” he said.

It taught him that love and presence matter more than anything.

Tenace’s faith has been a guiding force since his teenage years. In high school, he made a mistake that changed his life, he was caught stealing alcohol from an abandoned trailer with his friends.

Standing in the lawyers’ office beside his mother, hearing her disappointment “crushed his soul.” His community service at a church following that event, led him to accept God and begin a personal journey of faith.

That faith deepened during his time in Iraq.

His last deployment was one of the hardest seasons of his life. He was supposed to retire, but the Army called him back for one more year, just after his father passed away. He left his wife and kids, including a six-month old baby. During one attack, rockets landed dangerously close to his camp in the middle of the night.

“When I came back, I was changed,” he said. “Faith became so much more important.”

As a teacher he brings that faith and compassion into everything he does. He shows so much care, empathy, and belief in each student’s potential.

“My favorite thing about teaching is believing in kids that nobody else might believe in,” he said. “Everyone loves the good student, but the faith I believe in is that God loves the ones others may overlook.”

He knows what it feels like to doubt yourself, to feel unworthy and that’s why he teaches.

“If I can make every student I meet feel worthy, then I have a purpose in life.”

Tenace’s story shows people that failure doesn’t define us faith, compassion, and perseverance does. From soldier to teacher, his life continues to inspire others to lead with love and to find purpose in lifting others up.