Debra Peppers

"From Troubled Teen to Teacher of the Year" read a recent headline when Debra Peppers received the honor of being a recipient of the 1999 National Teachers' Hall of Fame. Debra Peppers knows about the encouragement that is needed for students to turn their lives around. Having been a troubled teen herself, she experimented with alcohol and drugs. She ran away from home and weighed 250 pounds when she dropped out of high school.

Having lost over 100 pounds and receiving her doctorate to become "Dr. Peppers" Debra challenges audiences to look at all the "roads" in their lives and inspires them to transform "Stumbling Blocks to Stepping Stones". Debra incorporates her own personal story of "shame to fame" and how she became an outstanding educator of 25 years, author, mentor, university instructor and current host of a daily three-hour radio program entitled "Talk From the Heart, with Debra Peppers".

Debra is the author of Puzzles, Paradigms, and Possibilities. Her award winning documentary film CHOICES, dealing with teen issues, features Debra and her high school students and was produced by Southwestern Bell Corporation. An upcoming edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul will feature Debra Peppers "before and after story".