By Roger P. Healy

It’s socially assumed that we get our high school diplomas around age 17 and head straight on to college. It always felt to me like a standard, an expectation. But it’s truly not for everyone. Some get into skilled trades, join the military, or go straight to work. Some take time to explore the world or just get a break from the classroom. Others wind up taking very different paths that don’t always lead to great destinations. But sometimes our path brings us right back to where we started, and rarely in a way we expect.

I graduated high school June 6^th, 2002 and entered the Army National Guard right away, caught up in the post-9/11 flood of patriotism, among other things, and left for Basic Combat Training on June 28th. After five months of training, I came back and went to work while serving as a part-time soldier. I met a great girl and started community college the following summer, the US invasion of Iraq already underway. Reality hit me hard that November. Suddenly married, a child on the way, and a one-way ticket to Baghdad; 19 years old and drowning in adulthood. No time for college. It was of little consequence when I had a child to raise.

At 39 years old, I’m right back where I started, a sophomore English major grinding away at my education. With classmates half my age, it’s a strange and unique experience to be here. It’s like traveling through time to a future that I’m not a part of, just passing through.

My first day on campus was nerve-wracking. Students scurried back and forth in typical first-day fashion, a healthy mix of nervousness, confusion, and excitement. Young students, fresh from high school taking their first step into adulthood.

And then there was me.

After a moment to collect myself in the parking lot, I made my way inside. Walking through the doors and down the main hall into CC Square,  tension built with every step. The anxiety was overwhelming. I couldn’t help but imagine everyone thinking, “Who’s this old bald guy walking around with a backpack? Why is he even here? Was he too stupid to go to college before?”

My rational brain tells me that’s probably not true and that it doesn’t matter anyway; such thoughts seemed foolish for a grown man to have. Yet I suffered that unshakable nervousness of being the new kid. And far outside the key demographic. Am I dressed appropriately? Where am I going? I look like a dirtbag, they all probably think I’m a new maintenance guy or something. Am I weird? Yes.

I really don’t belong here.

But I do belong here, and here’s why: I already got to be what I wanted to grow up to be— an American Soldier. However, 16 years of service in the US Army can take a heavy toll on the human body. The blood, sweat, and tears of a life well lived by age 35 left me too broken to keep fighting, but too young to fade into obsolescence.

From 2018 until now, seven jobs in five different industries have been unsuccessful due to my disabilities. Writing is my only natural talent and the best chance for a future career. My last marketable skill leveraged by way of force or fate.

Why did it take so long to get here? Life. I couldn’t afford the risks associated with chasing down a writing career as a 19-year-old father and husband in a recession. I needed to earn. I had to provide.

Now those responsibilities have changed. The kids are older. I have a pension. Bills are getting paid on time. But it’s hard to pick up the pen again after so long. The harsh realities or the war, work, and financial worry have heavily altered the creativity and inspiration of my youth. I simply didn’t think that I could do it.

I feel better about it all now than on my first day. We’re all here for the same goal and I’m not the only adult student, just the oldest one in my class. My classmates and I all learn and do the same things. Ultimately, our motivations and goals are the same: to grow knowledge; gain experience; and earn a degree in our chosen professions.

Through conversation and observation, I imagine the routine for a young college student outside of class includes part-time jobs, goofing off with friends, campus clubs and organizations, all-nighter study sessions, sports, parties, and activities up to and including general mayhem. Probably some video games and ramen noodles involved as well.

I occupy my time much differently.

Lawn care, home repairs, vehicle maintenance, cleaning, and cooking, on top of time with the kids, time with my wife, physical rehab, about a million doctor’s appointments, and time somewhere to sit down. Where a younger student’s mind may be occupied with how they’re going to finish a school project and rehearse for the school play, mine is occupied with how I’m going to fix the wiring in my basement, replace the water heater, get my kid to the dentist, pay for it all, and how I’ll get my assignments finished. I still throw down on the Xbox when I can though.

School is my full-time job thanks to the Post-9/11 GI Bill, but it’s a precarious balance. Any coursework outside of class hours has to fit in around the rest of my life, though it should be the other way around. It’s difficult and sometimes chaotic to make everything happen.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. I have an advantage in the classroom: tons of real-world experience. I’ve been writing in the business world for years now. Emails, memos, policies & procedures; creating and delivering classes and presentations, organizing and leading in both training and combat. I’ve worked in several industries and already hold one bachelor’s degree. Writing was my first career choice, but is now my fifth career pursuit.

I would like to close by saying “Thank you” to the students, faculty, and staff of this wonderful learning institution. My younger classmates and their contributions are inspiring. To see people so young being so confident and so capable pushes me to stay on task.

In spite of my many differences, my interactions on campus have been overwhelmingly positive.  I feel welcome and respected as a peer student, instead of just being a crazy old dude. Every day above ground is a good day, and every day at La Roche University is a great experience.

Thank you,

Roger P. Healy

SSG, USA, Retired