A Unique Story About Graduation - Ten Years Later.

It's been just over 10 years since I "should've" graduated from college. I was in my fourth year, and the final semester of school when I had an extremely major setback and life-changing event about two weeks before commencement.

It's been a long time since this article circulated on the web . There was a bad accident that happened very early on a Sunday morning only a few miles from my house. It was the type of accident where the road was completely shut down on both sides and you could just tell by the way first responders looked at you that it wasn't good. It just so happens that of the three people that were in the vehicle, one of them happened to be one of my younger brothers.

The whole night and into the morning sometimes seems like it happened in slow motion, and I too often remember more of that day than I wish to, but the hardest part of the whole story is that eventually after I had found a backroad to where the accident happened, I had to be the one to piece everything together for local law enforcement and the county coroner.

I should also add at this point in the story, that my brother and I were both in the same school of the same college, just two years apart. We were both studying at the School of Business and Economics .

The university that I attended - UW-Stevens Point, which also happens to be my current employer for the past eight years, really helped me out during this tough time. It is arguably the first time that I faced serious adversity in my life, and because I had crossed paths with some really amazing people on my college journey, I got some much-needed support from people that I never expected it from.

Two of my professors were willing to count my current grade in their class as my final grade and I didn't have to do any additional work for their classes that semester. I never knew that a student could argue/negotiate points in class until I was out of college. One professor, who had been a mentor for a group finance research challenge that I participated in, was willing to boost my grade up to an A in his class (which I don't really think I would've been capable of doing even despite the trauma I was dealing with), and my last professor was willing to let me complete some assignments over the summer.

One of the other relationships that I had at the time was a mentorship with my academic advisor. This person was pretty much the first to believe in me individually as a person, outside of my friend group. She hired me into a role as a student advisor after I had been rejected from two other campus jobs, and then eventually promoted me to manager in my senior year. That was a really big confidence booster for my professional growth at the time.

She showed a lot of support for me when I lost my brother. She secured front row seats for my parents at commencement and encouraged me to walk at graduation (which I am very grateful to have taken her advice). To sweeten the pot, she got us access to the chancellor's lounge where the guest speakers, deans, the provost, chancellor, and other important people get to hang out. The lounge was fully equipped with snacks and drinks, and I was so excited that I got to be there on such an important day for me and my family. She even tried to get my parents a refund for my brother's semester. That one was the only thing that didn't end up panning out.

Walking across the stage and getting to hear applause from your parents, friends, and other close people from your network is so rewarding and satisfying, even if it is only for a few seconds. I highly recommend that piece of the college experience for people. On that day for me, it was extra sweet. What my advisor did for me during those last two weeks will be something that I will never forget.

Finishing that last class was one of the harder things that I did to graduate because that summer still is pretty blurry to me. I took a job with Northwestern Mutual as a financial rep. I thought that I might be able to leverage my story a little more than I actually did, and I quickly realized that sales are hard. But between both my coursework and my job, I found a way to keep moving forward and eventually submitted my work for a passing grade, and all was good.

Until it wasn't...

If you aren't fully in the know about the interworkings and logistics of college and obtaining a degree, there are a few things that end up happening at the end of a term. First of all, a grade needs to be posted before the final date that degrees can be awarded. Then a degree needs to be audited and made sure that everything is accurate. The Registrar's Office has dates that are set in stone for degree conferrals. If a grade is entered after this final date, then a student's graduation term needs to get changed to the upcoming term for the degree to be awarded then.

Also, at my college, all students graduating in spring and summer are able to participate in the May Commencement ceremony. So I was originally supposed to be on that Spring list but was moved to the Summer list, and I just missed the cut-off for summer grades when I turned all of my work in for that last class I needed to finish.

For the next 1.5 years, I worked a handful of different jobs, I moved halfway across the country, started dating someone that I would eventually marry, and eventually found my way back to the university for a position as an academic advisor.

When I applied for the position I learned through the interview process that I technically hadn't graduated, and I couldn't believe it. Surely this was a mistake on the University's part! At that point, I learned that my account was never carried over to the next term. Everything was done, but I just didn't finish that final important piece.

Luckily some of the people previously mentioned in this story were still willing to go to bat for me and make some things happen behind the scenes to officially get me a college degree. This meant that I was able to remain a candidate for the position. And that was a good thing for me because it meant I would soon begin my role as an academic advisor.

So in turn, my four-year degree, which was supposed to only be extended a summer, turned into me being in school for five and a half years because of a fairly small detail that I ultimately missed.

Looking back, I can see how my journey prepared me for the next step. I quickly realized that a lot of what I went through was setting me up to be successful in the role I was entering. I've paid a lot of attention to these seemingly small logistics pieces, and I now play a small part in making sure that students cross these i's and dot these t's during the final days as undergrads. While I don't have any hard stats to put into this post, I take a lot of pride in the role I get to partake in, and I've gotten to see so many students battle through obstacles and walk across the graduation stage.

Parts of my journey have come full circle, but other parts are still mysterious. I certainly don't have all the answers yet. But I have begun to trust myself more through all of the experiences that I've garnered in my role working directly with students. The one piece of advice that I'd give you (if you made it this far in the article) is to be someone's supporter. Be genuine and share enough with someone to let them know that you are on their team.

Leaders and followers influence each other in dynamic relationships. Leaders can help give direction and support, and followers' attitudes and actions can influence and encourage the actions of the leader. It goes both ways, but it might have to start with you.

Ten years later, I am back in school and studying in the same place. I'm pursuing my MBA in Applied Leadership and Decision Making with UW-Stevens Point . It's been a great opportunity for both my personal and professional development. And, I'm pretty well connected with the folks here, so if it is something you might be considering, let me know and I'll help you schedule a 1 on 1 information session.