Upon completing eighth grade at the age of 15, I decided not to go to high school at all. This was a big mistake. From that point on, I lived from paycheck to paycheck and job to job until I was 26. In 2012, I navigated to Ivy Tech Community College. I thought community college was as far as I could go, but one day at a college fair I saw a table for the University of Evansville. This was my dream school that I always wanted to go to. And at first, I thought to myself, "You're not smart enough and you're not wealthy enough." But I talked to the admission counselor at UE’s table, and she told me there were plenty of grants and financial aid to make college affordable. When I informed her that my GPA was a 3.8, she assured me that I definitely had an opportunity at UE. I was so happy to finally be at the school I drove by every day and always wanted to attend.

In May 2021, I earned my bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership. But I didn’t stop there – I made the decision to continue my education and enroll in the Master of Science in Leadership program that fall. In December 2022, I completed my master’s degree. Thank you, UE! You have impacted my life for the better.