Cierra Theratt - HCC True Grit Award Recipient

Hagerstown, MD - On Tuesday, night, May 8, the annual Frank Erck True Grit Award banquet, held at Fountain Head Country Club, honored 13 student athletes from Washington County public and private high schools, along with Hagerstown Community College. 

In the spirit of finding strength in sports to perservere through difficult life situations, guest speaker, Selena Wilkes, Williamsport graduate, Division II All-American volleyball player, LPGA Futures tour golfer, and former True Grit Scholarship recipient relayed her struggles resulting from being deaf in her youth, and how playing sports helped her cope, bond, and eventually excel on the court, course and in her present life.

Cierra Theratt completed her sophomore year at Hagerstown Community College this semester. She was a member of the women's basketball team at HCC that went to the semifinals of the Region XX tournament this past season.

Originally from the Washington, D.C. area, Cierra attended Grace Christian Academy in Waldorf, Md., and then went on to play basketball at Loyola University in Baltimore, however, her college career did not go as planned. After a year at Loyola, Cierra found herself estranged from her family and without a place to live. She ended up staying in a homeless shelter in Washington. She pursued work opportunities in Philadelphia and Washington over the next few years, then married her husband. Two years ago, Cierra and her husband moved to Hagerstown with the assistance of her aunt. She gave birth to her daughter while living with her aunt in Hagerstown. Following the birth of her daughter she and her husband moved back to the D.C. area, but ended up in Hagerstown, where she resides today and is raising her daughter.

With an interest in completing her degree, Cierra chose to take classes this year — earning a 3.25 GPA in the fall. After many twists and turns in her life's journey, she graduated from HCC this spring. Cierra understands the value of an education and demonstrates the determination it takes to improve herself and continue to grow. We are proud to have Cierra Theratt receive the 2018 True Grit Award for Hagerstown Community College.