Nontraditional grad overcoming odds
Sara Wade
Issue date: 4/24/08 Section: Campus Life
Donna Miller knows what's like to live a difficult life.
Miller, a nontraditional student, will graduate this May with a degree in psychology. It had been 37 years since she had last gone to school when she decided to go back in '04.
She went to Crowder College and upon graduation she transferred to PSU.
"When I started this time there were things taught that I had no clue about," Miller said. "It's scary."
There were circumstances in her past that would not permit her to go earlier in life, she says.
"I grew up in an abusive home and that stigma seems to follow you for years to come if you don't deal with the ramifications and that's part of the reason why I'm finishing my education now," she said. "I keep telling myself that it's better late than never."
She has fibromyalgia, which is a chronic condition that causes widespread whole body pain and stiffness in the muscles and connective tissues in the body, and arthritis.
"The hardest thing was, and still is, is that my body does not keep up with my mind- my mind is much younger," Miller said. "I've learned that as long as I pace myself I won't get ill enough to be hospitalized like I did during my first year back at Crowder. I won't let it stop me."
After five years of working as a youth care worker in a residential treatment center for troubled youth, Miller decided that if she wanted to continue to help young people she needed to continue her education.
"I want to help others to better their lives," she said. "My hopes are to help people who are struggling due to past abuse, so they won't have to suffer for as long as I did and to encourage them to go on to college after high school," she said.
Being a nontraditional student has its drawbacks; Miller says that it's hard to fit in because most of the students in her grade level have already been there for two years and are already adjusted and well acclimated to the environment and most other students are much younger
Miller, a nontraditional student, will graduate this May with a degree in psychology. It had been 37 years since she had last gone to school when she decided to go back in '04.
She went to Crowder College and upon graduation she transferred to PSU.
"When I started this time there were things taught that I had no clue about," Miller said. "It's scary."
There were circumstances in her past that would not permit her to go earlier in life, she says.
"I grew up in an abusive home and that stigma seems to follow you for years to come if you don't deal with the ramifications and that's part of the reason why I'm finishing my education now," she said. "I keep telling myself that it's better late than never."
She has fibromyalgia, which is a chronic condition that causes widespread whole body pain and stiffness in the muscles and connective tissues in the body, and arthritis.
"The hardest thing was, and still is, is that my body does not keep up with my mind- my mind is much younger," Miller said. "I've learned that as long as I pace myself I won't get ill enough to be hospitalized like I did during my first year back at Crowder. I won't let it stop me."
After five years of working as a youth care worker in a residential treatment center for troubled youth, Miller decided that if she wanted to continue to help young people she needed to continue her education.
"I want to help others to better their lives," she said. "My hopes are to help people who are struggling due to past abuse, so they won't have to suffer for as long as I did and to encourage them to go on to college after high school," she said.
Being a nontraditional student has its drawbacks; Miller says that it's hard to fit in because most of the students in her grade level have already been there for two years and are already adjusted and well acclimated to the environment and most other students are much younger
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