While she was coming of age and attending college, Joyce M. Fortune desired to enter the field of education in light of her desire to reach and impact other individuals, particularly fellow students. After completing her higher education, she entered academia as a teacher, having taught middle school and high school courses at the New England Christian Academy for 28 years. Now retired, Ms. Fortune looks back on her teaching experiences fondly. She particularly recalls encouraging her students to write poetry and submit their poetic publications to anthologies; notably, four of her students were published in The American Poetry Anthology.
As a testament to her success in education, Ms. Fortune was named Teacher of the Year in 1987 and was highlighted in Who’s Who in Education. Outside of her primary endeavors, she has remained a volunteer with the Disabled American Veterans Auxiliary and the Grace Gospel Church in Somerset, Massachusetts. She has also volunteered with the John Christian Academy and the New Testament Christian Academy, as well as with AMVETS and SAMVETS.
A member of the Association of Christian Schools International, Ms. Fortune attributes much of her success to a psychology professor she had while attending the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. After conversing with the professor amid a mock interview the professor gave his students, Ms. Fortune felt moved by the situation. She and the professor have since remained in touch over the years.
Looking toward the future, Ms. Fortune intends to continue enjoying her well-deserved retirement. Married to her late husband Fred, she has two children, Christian and Scott. She also has six grandchildren: Scott Jr., Matthew, Julia, Logan, Cassidy and Kamryn.