From Adrift To In Control
Terri Cummings
Her counselor paused, tapping a pencil thoughtfully against her temple, then leaned forward to reply. “Have you thought about going back to school?”
The question stunned her. Dumbfounded her even
College had never felt like it was “for her.” No one in her family had gone to college. In fact, she’d tried it once before and had left with a less-than-stellar GPA and only a handful of credits. But something about that moment was different.
Terri realized that if she wanted a different future for herself and her son, she had to stop drifting and start taking control.
She soon started at community college, but it wasn’t easy.
In 2010, Terri’s world was shifting. She was navigating a divorce, raising her son as a newly single parent, and carrying the weight of financial and personal responsibility on her shoulders. At the time, she was an office manager at a small business, juggling multiple roles from accounting to HR to operations. Wearing multiple hats kept her busy, but she knew the ceiling on her upward mobility was low. No matter how hard she worked, she realized she was running in place, stuck at the same level. Tired, frustrated, and feeling out of options, she vented to her therapist, “I keep trying to move forward, but there's no place to go.”
Adult Learner, Human Resources Professional, Leader in Talent and Workforce Development
“That period was very difficult for me because I was still emotionally all over the place. Like many students, I was juggling multiple responsibilities and constantly trying to keep up. Then I had a professor who made all the difference. She wasn’t easy by any means, but there was something about her presence and support that helped me push forward.”
Terri found the grit to triumph, earning top grades and an HR Management Certificate.
But she didn’t stop there. How could she? She loved learning. With each class conquered, she gained the confidence that had eluded her since her divorce. If she could earn a certificate, what else could she do?
Soon, she enrolled in a reputable, online 4-year institution that accepted her community college credits as well as credit for her professional experience towards a bachelor’s degree in business, which she completed in 2017.
Did she stop there?
No way!
Terri kept moving.
In 2019, she earned a master’s in leadership and human resource development.
So what does life look like for Terri now?
She is busier than ever, and she is no longer adrift without a clear destination.
In fact, she’s 100% in the driver’s seat.
She is currently the Vice President of Talent and Workforce at a mid-sized chamber of commerce and recently launched her own HR consulting firm. Impressively, and perhaps most meaningfully, she has returned to teach at the community college where she first found the courage to return. Today, she guides students who sit where she once did.
Center for Academic Innovation team member Bridgett Strickler interviewed Terri Cummings and authored this narrative. To explore additional adult learner stories, visit BridgettStrickler.com or follow Bridgett on LinkedIn, where she regularly writes about adult learner comebacks. To learn about Bridgett’s deeply personal connection to this work, be sure to watch her TEDx talk, “If you’re going back to school, community may be the medicine.”