Editor’s note: This piece was written by West Texas A&M University student Madeline Wallace, who is also serving as an intern at WT this summer. Her piece shares her experience overcoming personal and health-related challenges and pursuing higher education in the Texas Panhandle.
When people first meet me, there are two things that often surprise them. The first is that I was homeschooled from kindergarten through high school. The second is that I have a rare genetic disease called MNGIE, short for Mitochondrial Neurogastrointestinal Encephalomyopathy. Both of those facts are true, but neither one tells you who I am.
For a long time, I realized people tended to make assumptions before they ever got to know me. If I mentioned I was homeschooled, some people assumed I wasn’t social, that I hadn’t received a quality education, or that I would struggle in college. If I mentioned MNGIE, they often looked at me with sympathy, as though my diagnosis was the most important thing about me.
Those assumptions do not tell the whole truth. My experiences have shaped me, but they do not define me.
Like many people, my story is made up of experiences that others may never see. My father’s choices shaped parts of my childhood in ways that are still difficult to understand. There were moments when life felt uncertain, but those experiences taught me resilience and showed me the importance of creating a future different from the circumstances I was born into. While I could not control the choices made by the people around me, I could control the choices I made for myself. One of the most important choices I made was to invest in my education. My path, however, looked different from many others.
Before I was old enough to understand the world around me, I was already learning how to adapt. Being sick meant that I spent much of my early childhood in and out of hospitals, but it never stopped my desire to learn. My mom believed in my ability to learn and grow, and homeschooling gave me the opportunity to continue my education in a way that fit my circumstances.
Education became more than a requirement or a path toward a career. It became a place where I could find comfort, curiosity and a sense of possibility. When I was learning, I was able to look beyond the challenges around me and focus on the person I wanted to become. Every book I read, every subject I explored and every new skill I gained reminded me that my future could be shaped by my own determination.
Over time, learning became something I valued not only because of the knowledge it gave me, but because of the confidence it instilled in me. Education showed me that I was capable of overcoming difficult circumstances and that my story would not be defined by the challenges I faced growing up.
Being homeschooled was a different experience from what many of my classmates had, and there were times when I wondered if I was prepared for the challenges of college. However, my educational journey taught me how to be independent, persistent and responsible for my own growth.
I was born and raised in Amarillo, and I chose to attend West Texas A&M University after my best friend invited me to take a tour of the campus. What started as a simple invitation gave me the opportunity to explore WT, and I soon realized it was the place where I could further my education and build the future I wanted for myself.
As I stepped into a new chapter of my life, I still carried doubts with me. I wondered if being homeschooled had given me the foundation I needed to succeed and if I was truly smart enough. I worried that my educational background would put me at a disadvantage compared to students who had followed a more traditional path. Even today, I still find myself questioning whether I am capable of meeting the expectations I have set for myself.
However, my experiences at WT have shown me that having those doubts does not define my ability to succeed. WT welcomed me as a student, not as a label. I was never made to feel like being homeschooled was something I needed to explain or defend.
WT has shown me that success is not determined by where you begin, but by the dedication and determination you bring with you. WT has reminded me that intelligence is not defined by the type of education someone receives, but by their willingness to learn, grow and persevere.
My hope is that other homeschooled students who are considering college can see that their future is not limited by the path they took to get there. I am not just a homeschooled student. I am not just the person with a rare disease. I am not just the girl who was abused. Those are parts of my story, but they are not the entirety of who I am. I am a student, a scholar, a friend, a daughter, a sister and someone who continues to grow. I am someone who has learned that circumstances can influence a person, but they do not have to control them. I am more than the labels people see, and I hope others learn that they are more than their labels, too.
Madeline Wallace is a student at West Texas A&M University, pursuing a B.S. in Health Sciences and Criminal Justice.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: WT student writes about how we are more than just labels | OPINION
Reporting by By Madeline Wallace, Special to the Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
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By Madeline Wallace, Special to the Amarillo Globe-News | USA TODAY Network
