CARBONDALE - As a college student in her late 40s, Pamela Irvin jokingly said she only felt out of place every day on the Southern Illinois University Carbondale campus. But, at age 51 and preparing to take hold of her degree at tonight's commencement ceremony for the College of Liberal Arts, Irvin feels like a woman who could go anyplace and belong.

It is the power and pride that comes with an education, said Irvin, a mother of two and grandmother of four. It even makes her feel young:

"I felt young before, but now it is very empowering."

Irvin began a full-fledged push for a bachelor's degree four years ago. At the time, she had raised two children, had put them through college, had become a grandmother, had worked several jobs and had lived in several places around the country. She wasn't lacking life experience and completing a college degree had been a dream of hers for a long time.

Irvin made a false start 20 years ago at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Mo., the same university where her husband, Terry, received a degree in religious education. She attended Southwest for one year, intending to get a degree in kinesiology.

Money issues forced Irvin and her husband to return to Southern Illinois - Salem - for work. Irvin had graduated from high school in Mount Vernon, so she knew the area. In 2000, her husband spent a year at SIUC to get his teaching certificate and took a job in the Dongola school district in Union County. Irvin followed him to the district in a teaching aide position but was laid off a year later because of budget cuts.

With her husband completing a degree in education administration, Irvin said she felt the urge more than ever to return to school. After some soul searching, some planning and even some prayer, the Irvins made a pivotal decision.

"My husband just said to me, 'don't worry about it. This is your time. You're going back to school," she recalled. "When he said it was my turn, I was a little apprehensive."

A school loan later, Irvin was attending classes at SIUC, this time seeking a degree in speech communication. For the first three years she was commuting each week from her home in Salem, living weekdays in Dongola and attending classes in Carbondale. However, she was immersed in the college experience - taking notes, studying for tests, writing papers. The routine of raising a family was a memory then, she said.

"School became my job, and that's how I approached it," Irvin said. "For every class I entered, it was my 'A' to lose."

Irvin had her priorities set, but she recalled what she saw among some of her fellow, younger classmates shocked her. It was obvious to her from day one, she said, that cultures among young adults had changed and not always for the better. She said it was clear some of the students in school didn't fully appreciate the opportunities given them, as they ignored class work.

Irvin, who had waited so long for her chance to enter college, couldn't fathom anyone taking an education for granted.

"It was a privilege to be able to go to school," she said. "It's not a right; it's a privilege."

Motherly instincts first led her to try to help other students see potential errors, but on advice from her son, Irvin kept focused on her own education and goals. In eight semesters she only missed one deadline, she noted.

Not all the students she met needed a mother. Irvin said her four years at SIUC have rewarded her with friendships that have taught her a great deal about the promise in new generations. One of those students is Jarred Thorpe, a 24-year-old senior in film. They met last year in a ballroom dance class. Irvin said Thorpe became her regular dance partner because they got along well (and because her husband refused to take dance anyway).

Thorpe said despite the age gap, he's been able to identify with Irvin. "She's just very young at heart," he said, though he added at times he has sought some of her mature wisdom. He noted Irvin and his mother think a lot alike.

In the end, Irvin said, she has attained a degree of success no amount of money can match. This weekend will be one of reflection for her, as well as a time to enjoy the company of her entire family, who will be traveling to Carbondale for the graduation.

"This really has been a labor of love, but it is also something that I can lay at the Lord's feet," Irvin said. "What I've been able to accomplish has not been through only my blood, sweat and tears. My spiritual relationship has been of primary importance."

Irvin said completing her college degree has made her stronger, not only for herself but for her family. It also gives her hope, as she enters her second half of a century lived, that opportunities will flourish.

SIUC Media and Communication Resources contributed to this story.

caleb.hale@thesouthern.com

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