Amongst everything since being diagnosed with Dermatomyositis in August 2013, one thing has remained consistent ever since: I’ve been a student. 

In the summer of 2012 I transferred to the University of Kansas in an attempt to gain momentum and finish my degree paths once and for all. I first went to college for credit during a mid-semester course at Independence Community College in my hometown, October 2004. From then on I would also spend time at Pittsburg State University, Missouri Southern State University in Joplin and finally KU. Before 2012 there were many pausing episodes due to work, financial issues, or sometimes just simply not having my life direction clear in my head. I was a vocal music major, a theatre major, a classics major and even considered peace and conflict studies before finally coming to history.

There are times in life where you wonder why things are happening a certain way. Why could I not figure out what I wanted to do with my career path and education? As I saw many of my former classmates graduate and move on to their careers, I struggled to find permanent traction.

In Summer of 2012, my grades did not start out great at KU. A combination of the summer semester being more intensive combined with the kryptonite of biology and math led to a lot of deep breaths and a fall 2012 that took a lot of grit. After recharging over the winter, I redoubled and found myself taking control of the momentum I had been searching for. 

I attained CLAS Honor Roll status for spring 2013, duel A’s for my classes in the summer of ’13. My on-campus job was going well and I was gearing up for a study abroad experience to England.

So as I sat in a hospital bed in August 2013, hearing about this rare disease for the first time, and having some time to reflect, I finally felt I had the answer to what my story needed from 2004 to 2013. I needed perspective. Perspective for life and the opportunities that it can both give and take away. I had a conversation with one of my doctors about whether school would be possible from there, or desirable. I had a wave of relief that school was there. It was going to be harder, but it was going to happen, and through it I would have the perspective to understand what it meant.This would be the fuel for my momentum. 

I pushed through the fall and once again made CLAS Honor Roll in fall 2013. However, that semester taught me that I did need to listen more carefully to my body, my doctors and my advisors. That level of energy shook me up pretty badly and I spent the winter trying to learn how to take a step back without losing myself completely.

Since then, there have been some frustrating days, weeks, months and semesters. I had to withdraw from an entire semester with only a few weeks to go in spring 2014. The summer of 2014 was largely done laying down. With a surgery to remove a tumor in fall 2015, the emotional and physical stress to catch up was immense after being out for a month. Finally, this spring of 2016 has seen a major flare of myositis dictating the good days from the bad since March.

Through it all, the staff and professors at the KU have been absolutely unreal with their support. My effort has not gone unrecognized, and their patience has not gone unappreciated. For the rest of my life, I will remember their names and faces and what they did for me and the intellectual stimulation they have provided me. These experiences, lectures and assignments have been as therapeutic as any medicine could possibly be. 

My family, especially my parents, and the times they have appeared at my door, sent a message or provided support in other ways. For as long as my college journey took, they never seemed to doubt that there was light at the end of the tunnel somewhere.

My fiance April, who appeared in my life at just the right time, because sometimes that’s just how God works. She has been my rock and literally has propped me up some nights at my desk.

To all of the people and friends who showed support through GoFundMe, and the media. Friends from yesteryear who showed me in force that they never went away. It was amazing and you saved me in a time of financial crisis.

To all of these people and more, I say thank you as a graduate of the University of Kansas, with a major in History and minor in Classical Antiquity. 

Tomorrow is the official Commencement on campus. I won’t be able to make it there for various medical reasons, but I am completely ok with that, because I have perspective. I know what it took to get here, the cast of characters that it took and I know what it means to each of them. That, for me, is worth a thousand walks down the Campanile hill.