Bob Anderson, 39, from Greer, a student in the Honors program at Greenville Technical College, has been selected as the Alden Transfer Scholarship recipient this year at Furman University.
Anderson lives in Greer with his wife, Andrea.
The scholarship pays full tuition for two years of study at Furman. Anderson plans to use the award to realize his dream of becoming a high school physics teacher.
The Michigan native, the oldest recipient of the Alden Transfer Scholarship, intended to enlist in the Navy when he graduated from high school but was denied entry for medical reasons.
He attended college briefly, studying computer engineering, but his heart wasn’t in it, and he eventually failed out. He fell into a career in IT support as a contractor, something he was good at but not something he intended to pursue.
When his son was born in 2011, Anderson realized that eventually the child would ask what his dad did for a living, and the new father wanted to provide an answer of which he could be proud.
Upon learning he had received the scholarship, Anderson said he jumped, screamed, danced, and then cried. By the time he got home, his wife had the decorated the house with purple and white balloons.
Anderson’s interest in teaching will allow him, he said, to be one of the good teachers that he remembers from high school and from college. At Greenville Technical College, he said, some of those outstanding teachers helped him realize that he has a passion for physics worth sharing with young people.
Anderson turns 40 in October.