Tonya Barnette

It has been a long, hard several months for me, but I'm doing much better now! I was diagnosed with breast cancer in September and went through treatment until the end of the year. I'm now in remission and taking an anti-cancer drug to help prevent a reccurence. I've been slowly getting my energy level back up and, while I'm not back to my old self, I feel like I'm improving all the time.

I was very shy in high school, mostly staying in the background behind my popular friends. I loved reading (still do) and practicing cheers and gymnastics...even though I wasn't a cheerleader until college. My home life was hard, so I relied on my teachers and friends for support. I didn't actually get to graduate with my classmates because I had to move to Akron, Ohio during senior year. However, I still consider Powell Valley my alma mater (besides UT) and my friends there were very special to me!