DECATUR, Ga.—State Farm scholarship recipient Alex Myers knew he needed to come back to college to get ahead in his career.
“I was told I had potential, but did not have the credentials for advancement,” Myers said.
But Myers was not confident he could “do” college well. He had attended the University of South Florida in Tampa, but dropped out.
“My mother got sick. I started working,” he said. “In two years, I also got married, and my wife got pregnant. And, blink! I looked up, and I was 26 years old.”
Now 31, Myers was among the 1,800 Perimeter College students who graduated May 11 with an associate degree. He has been accepted into Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business, where he plans to study managerial science. He credits his success with his persistence—and the personal attention he received while at Perimeter College.
Myers came to Atlanta for his job after he and his wife divorced. He chose to try Georgia State’s Perimeter College because of its smaller classes.
“I was afraid I wouldn’t be successful, so I had avoided college for so long,” Myers said. “I was intimidated by the idea of classes and thought I would not be able to learn any more. I knew I would need special attention.”
Myers found that attention from his mathematics professor, Pat Zroelka, who tutored him through his math courses.
“I came in really humbled,” Myers said. “I was a decade removed from basic college algebra.”
Zroelka invited all of her students to spend their lunch with her to go over the coursework.
“I had lunch with her for 12 straight weeks, and I brought 15 of my classmates with me,” Myers said.
Myers passed the class.
“She showed me that my college experience can be whatever I wanted it to be,” he said, “and that encouragement leaked into everything else I did at Perimeter.”
Inspired by the example of Zroelka and other Perimeter College instructors, Myers said he wants to encourage students to take advantage of what the college has to offer. In his role as a State Farm scholar, he mentors South DeKalb high school students who are considering college.
The State Farm program “has been a fulfilling way to give back to the community,” he said. He wants younger students also to understand they can learn to mentor others.
“As cliché as it sounds, I tell students to seize moment, and don’t just try to get through school, but give back,” he said.
He notes that high school students have their own perceptions of what a college experience will be and may not consider a two-year path.
“At that age, I had strong opinions about things I had no idea about,” he said. “But I tell these students ‘you don’t know what you don’t know. The goal should be to get as much education as you can for as little money as possible.’”