Debi Qualls, a student at Indiana University Northwest, said when she graduated from high school girls weren’t encouraged to go to college.
Qualls, who described herself as a non-traditional student, said she has loved learning her whole life, and she aspires to be a historian. Qualls said her family talked her out of going to college after high school, which she has regretted.
“Fast forward well more than 40 years later, and here I stand, telling you it is never too late to follow your dreams. I only wish that I had started sooner,” Qualls said. “I let the confidence of my youth slip away only to listen to the voices of doubt and discouragement.”
Qualls was the student speaker during the seventh annual Redhawk induction ceremony, which celebrated the class of 2028 embarking on the Redhawk Road. About 200 students gathered at the Indiana University Northwest mainstage theater Tuesday to receive pins to symbolize their commitment to the university.
Interim Chancellor Vicki Roman-Lagunas pinned Rufus, the university mascot, during the ceremony. She encouraged the students to wear the pins throughout their time at the university.
“Today is your first step on the Redhawk Road to graduation. Make the most of it. Listen. Learn. Show up. Take note. Believe what is possible, and know that you belong here,” Roman-Lagunas said. “Congratulations on taking the first step.”
While the voices of doubt told her she would have nothing in common with her student cohort, Qualls said she has realized she has many things in common with her classmates. For example, all students worry about if they studied enough for a test, how they will get all their homework done and when classes are over, she said.
“As I am walking the Redhawk Road myself, I realize I am not too old. My path just looks a little different. Every day provides a new adventure and a new learning opportunity so seize it. Too many years may have passed me by, but there are still years ahead for me to embrace and conquer,” Qualls said.
Qualls, who has a young grandson, said she also decided to enroll in college because she wants to provide an example of not being afraid of new things and doing the hard things in life.
“The road to graduation is not always straight, nor is it always easy. Like me, your road may be filled with stops and starts, twists and turns, and changes along the way. It is worth it, whatever it takes,” Qualls said.
Jon Becker, a 1996 alumnus, said when he started his freshman year he “had no plan, no burning purpose” and no idea what he wanted to do with his life. He figured he should go to college like his friends were doing, so he enrolled as a pre-medical student at Indiana University Northwest.
He chose a pre-medical path because he figured doctors make a lot of money. But Becker said he quickly realized he disliked science and was bored in class, which eventually translated into him not going to class.
Becker said he finished his first semester at Indiana University Northwest with a grade point average right under 2.0. The second semester he “doubled down” and took more science classes, which again led to him ditching classes.
At the end of his freshman year, Becker said he received a letter from the university informing him he was placed on academic probation. Unfortunately, that letter didn’t motivate him, Becker said, and he was dismissed after his third semester for “failure to progress towards a degree.”
“I stand before you as a teaching professor in the department of mathematics and actuarial science at the same university that kicked me out,” Becker said. “I experienced extreme failure as a college student, but I was able to overcome those numerous failures and achieve unusual success in the very same place where I had experienced all that failure.”
Like him, Becker said the students beginning their freshman year have likely failed at something before starting college and will likely fail again in the future.
“That’s not to discourage you. That’s just life. But that failure doesn’t define who you are or what you can achieve if you’re determined to make it happen,” Becker said.
Nine years after Becker was kicked out of Indiana University Northwest, he accepted a teaching position in the math department, where he has taught for 32 years.
Looking back at his time as a student and professor at the university, Becker said he had three pieces of advice for the students: go to class, go to class, go to class. The students should remember that advice when friends from high school reach out to hang out during class hours, when it’s rainy or snowy, or if they don’t complete homework when it is due, he said.
“Your chances of success will dramatically improve if you pre-decide right now, in this moment, that you’re going to get up every day and just go to class,” Becker said. “If you follow that simple plan every day, every week and every semester, without fail, you will walk out of here head held high with a college degree.”
Katelyn Marks, a medical psychology major, said she enjoyed the induction ceremony, particularly Becker’s three-part piece of advice that boiled down to a simple message: go to class.
“I thought it was a super nice event to welcome everyone,” Marks said.
Marks said she’s enjoyed learning more about the campus ahead of her freshman year.
“I’ve only been here two days, but they seem to have a lot of events planned already,” Marks said.
akukulka@post-trib.com
