{"id":78986,"date":"2019-12-06T10:51:54","date_gmt":"2019-12-06T15:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=78986"},"modified":"2022-10-25T16:15:01","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T20:15:01","slug":"forging-her-own-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2019\/12\/06\/forging-her-own-path\/","title":{"rendered":"Forging her own path"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Jennifer Troutman decided to pursue a master’s in student affairs in higher education at Wright State after a life-altering experience.<\/p><\/div>\n

Nearly one-third of Wright State University students are considered nontraditional. Graduate student Jennifer Troutman is just one of them.<\/p>\n

Many nontraditional students, like Troutman, often face different challenges than your typical out-of-high-school college student \u2014 work obligations or family situations that can make attending college full-time more difficult. But for Troutman, these challenges led her back to the classroom and eventually to Wright State.<\/p>\n

The decision to pursue her degree came quickly after the life-altering experience of divorce and the added family dynamic of single parenthood. The mother of a 16-year-old daughter and two sons, ages 11 and 8, Troutman had to do some soul searching, after her nearly 18-year marriage ended, to figure out her next step.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was actually a blessing in disguise,\u201d Troutman recalled. \u201cI was forced to sit down and ask myself, \u2018What\u2019s next? How do I do this?\u2019 The real reason why I felt compelled to pursue a degree in education in the first place was because I needed a career that could be compatible with my children\u2019s schedules.\u201d<\/p>\n

After completing her bachelor\u2019s degree in human services administration from Antioch University Midwest, Troutman had originally planned to pursue a master\u2019s degree in special education at Antioch and become an intervention specialist. But when the master\u2019s program was unexpectedly cut from the curriculum, Troutman had to find a new door to open.<\/p>\n

The closure of the special education program gave Troutman the freedom to examine closer what she actually wanted to do with her life beyond the singular need of raising three children. As she explored her possibilities, she discovered the Student Affairs in Higher Education (S.A.H.E.) Program<\/a> at Wright State.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way Wright State supported and encouraged me through the entire admissions process was a way better fit than other universities,\u201d said Troutman. \u201cI appreciate Wright State\u2019s program because of the widened diversity factor. It really has a broader range of students than most, culturally \u2014 commuter versus residence, traditional to nontraditional.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now in her final year of graduate school, Troutman has no regrets about pursuing her Master of Education in the S.A.H.E. Program.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Wright State students,\u201d she explained. \u201cMy cohort has made the experience fun and very encouraging. It\u2019s given me more confidence in my academic pursuits, which at one point I greatly questioned.”<\/p>\n

Of course, balancing school, work and parenthood is never an easy task. Despite the challenges, Troutman encourages other nontraditional students to return to higher education and pursue their dreams.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy first piece of advice is to believe you truly can do it,\u201d she said. \u201cMy second piece of advice is if you really want to hit that reset button, then get into campus life \u2014 immersing yourself into university life as much as possible will open doors and bring new things to view.\u201d<\/p>\n

Troutman models her own advice by working as a graduate assistant in the Office of Annual Giving<\/a>, where she helps with the phone-a-thon and the annual Wright Day to Give campaign. She also advises the \u201967 Society, an undergraduate student group that promotes philanthropy at Wright State.<\/p>\n

Before returning to school, Troutman had a long career in both commercial and public radio, so she feels right at home in a fundraising environment. She also understands the importance of supporting higher education.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would not be where I am if it wasn\u2019t for scholarships,\u201d said Troutman. \u201cI would not have been able to take the time needed to figure out and pursue what I truly desired to do next.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Troutman has always taught her children about the value of a college degree, through her experience, they are now able to see in detail how education can impact someone\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

\u201cCompleting my education not only transformed my life, it saved my life and changed the trajectory of my children\u2019s lives,\u201d said Troutman. \u201cIt has a multigenerational impact for which I will forever be an advocate for higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she graduates, Troutman would like to stay in the Dayton area and work at a local college or university in either athletic advising or pursue a job within a division of advancement. No matter where she ends up, she will remain passionate about helping young people succeed and encouraging others to support their dreams of earning a college degree.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who place value on their own educational experience, have a direct obligation to help continue to pave the way for others who may have had a twist in the road or not had that opportunity during early adulthood,\u201d she explained. \u201cI cannot think of a better way to pay it forward than by providing support towards an educational foundation, whether it\u2019s at the beginning, middle or much further into someone else\u2019s life journey.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jennifer Troutman pursued a master’s in student affairs in higher education at Wright State after a life-altering experience. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":79014,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,2104,2040,2060,744,725,4896,715],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-teacher-education","category-giving","category-graduate","category-education-human-services","category-home-news-sidebar","category-leadership-studies-in-education-organizations","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78986"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78986\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79026,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78986\/revisions\/79026"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79014"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}