Why I Went Back to School After Two Businesses and Ten Years

My educational journey has never followed a straight path and has always looked different from most everyone else's. 

As a child, I struggled in school and was frequently told I wasn’t trying hard enough. 

In middle school, I started chasing the attention of anyone and everyone to fill the emotional void I was experiencing. 

Cue highschool, by this point, school was the absolute last thing on my mind. 

Growing up in Southern Indiana, academics aren’t necessarily encouraged and people don’t value a quality education in the same ways as some more educated regions. I knew some people went to college but it seemed like only people with rich parents were able to do it. I took every opportunity to find myself in trouble and sometimes the trouble found me. 

As a new “fresh” adult, I quickly burned myself out working multiple part time jobs to afford my new apartment. I realized that living in a city meant living a different lifestyle than I was exposed to. 

I enrolled in cosmetology school. My thought process was that I would do this, get an “easy job” that I could do while going to school for what I actually wanted to do. Fast forward to a few months in and I absolutely HATED it! I dropped out and enrolled full time at my local community college. Shortly after I found out that I was pregnant at the age of 20. I remained in school throughout my pregnancy and managed a hybrid schedule. The real world quickly showed me that a college education really could open a few more doors. Things started getting better and better. I eventually wanted even more opportunities for my family and decided to go back to school yet again. 

I ended up in Colorado to attend acupuncture school. After working as an office manager at an acupuncture clinic, I realized that I still wanted to help people through holistic health but maybe acupuncture school wasn’t the right choice. In the end, I ended up going to massage therapy school in the same building as the acupuncture school I planned to attend. As I pursued my education, I started meeting like-minded people in the community. The encouragement and support made me realize that I could take everything I learned so far and start my own business. 

This is when my holistic wellness business started. 

Things were good until they weren’t. 

I went through a divorce, moved cross-country again, and started over once again. 

My business struggled, and then COVID hit....

I had to pivot again and started another more sustainable business. 

I’m now 5 ½ years into having this business and I know I want more. I want more knowledge and a deeper understanding. I’d love to directly impact more people with the work that I do in my community. 

THIS is why I decided to go back to school after owning 2 businesses and working with many other small business owners over the years. It’s been 10 years since I got my first degree, but I knew it wasn’t too late to enroll again because of my desire for even more out of life. I’ve experienced firsthand how learning new skills and information can make a person even more of an asset.

Showing up, committing to learning, and studying every single day has allowed me to end up on the Chancellor's list again this term. This may not seem like a big deal for some, but for me, it is everything. 

I do it for me. 

I do it for my daughter.

I do it for my family.

I do it for my community. 

❤️