Students born between the early 1980s and early 2000s sometimes get a bad rap in popular media. Known as the Millennial Generation, or “Gen Y,” individuals in this group are often maligned as lazy and entitled. Those who harbor this skewed disdain have never met Shelby Beck. At 22 years old, Beck is a senior social psychology major at Park University’s Malmstrom Air Force Base Campus Center in Great Falls, Mont. Some might presume this young college student is living up the college life — napping between classes and partying every night. Think again.
Persistence pays Beck’s determination kicked into high gear in her senior year of high school, dedicating herself to scholarship applications. “Every night I spent hours researching and writing applications,” Beck said about applying for more than 25 scholarships. “I didn’t think I’d receive even one.” But her persistence paid off. Beck was awarded 10 scholarships to help cover tuition and books toward her associate degree at a community college. She then began pursuing her bachelor’s degree at Park using grants that assist lowincome students.
Many students like Beck, who is scheduled to graduate this year, work full-time jobs and struggle to make ends meet. Lazy is not a word to describe Beck who works 38 hours a week while taking a full load of classes. As for entitled? Not even close.
College is for other people Beck didn’t think college was in the cards for her. “No one I ever knew went to college,” Beck said. “I thought college was for people who had money or were somehow smarter than me.” College was not a consideration until a favorite teacher encouraged her to at least consider the possibility. Facing many personal upheavals, Beck said she was a “mad at the world” teen. “I had fallen into the wrong crowd in high school. I saw my friends’ lives spiraling into drinking and drugs; many were dropping out,” Beck said. “I summoned the courage to start moving in a different direction. I focused on school and started making straight As. That’s when I started to vaguely see new possibilities for my life.” A teacher took notice of this shift and persisted in getting Beck on the college track, suggesting she consider scholarships. It was the idea of scholarships that offered hope to Beck, who couldn’t rely on any family resources to fund college. “If I was going to college, it was up to me,” she said.
“I keep a file cabinet full of my applications,” Beck said. “When I graduate, I’m sending a second round of thank you notes; most will go to people I’ve never met. I want them to know the difference their support made in my life.” But scholarships didn’t cover her living expenses. Unlike many 20-somethings, living in a dorm or at home wasn’t an option for Beck. Working nearly 40 hours a week is necessary for Beck to cover rent, utilities, food and other basic needs. “I save everything I possibly can and budget my expenses down to the tiniest things,” Beck said. “I don’t care if I have to pawn my TV, I’m graduating college.” For the past five years, Beck has been a family support assistant at Youth Dynamics, a nonprofit organization in Great Falls, where she works with children with behavioral issues. “I started to realize how a degree could help me with my dream of
helping others.” With a goal to become a counselor, Beck searched online for a bachelor’s degree program in psychology and found tuition at most universities unreasonable — until she read about Park University.
Down to the penny “I spoke with someone at the Parkville Campus who told me Park had a campus at Malmstrom Air Force Base near where I lived in Great Falls,” she said. “I didn’t realize I could take classes on the military base.” Another call to Park’s Malmstrom Campus led her to meeting “the most supportive people you could imagine.” “I had a million questions and was nervous about my ability to achieve a bachelor’s degree,” she said. Beck relied on the personal encouragement of the Malmstrom Campus staff. “They helped me with everything. One time I hadn’t budgeted shipping costs for a book,” she said. “They understood that sometimes my budget is so tight that little things — down to the penny — can mess it all up for me. I was grateful when the staff quickly helped me find a used book.” With scholarships, a full-time job and affordable tuition at Park, Beck is on track to graduate this spring. “I never took out a loan, so I’m proud to be graduating debtfree,” she said. And what happened to the young woman who doubted her smarts for college? As a student consistently on the Dean’s List, Beck was recently selected as a member of Park University’s chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda — a national honor society recognizing adult working students who achieve academic excellence. While she continues to save toward her master’s degree in counseling, Beck volunteers to help high school students with scholarship and college applications. “I’m constantly encouraging them,” Beck said. “If I can do it, they can too.”
Winter 2014 - 13