There are so many hats an adult student wears,” says Pamela Davis. Metaphorically speaking, Davis sports a pretty tall stack of her own.
As a pre-med junior, Davis also juggles the responsibilities of being a wife, mother of three teenagers, president of Once Again Students in School and an active member of her church.
A typical day in the life of Davis can, in her own words, “get crazy.”
Rising at 6 a.m. she and the other five members of the Davis household themselves ready for the day. Davis arrives on campus at 8 a.m. and has class until early afternoon.
“Then, depending on the week, there are errands to run, people to pick up and dinner to cook,” she said.
“Some weeks are slim and others are hectic.”
As a student, Davis is preparing for a career in medicine. Her 14-hour class load includes organic chemistry and participation in the Kellogg program, which is a rural health partnership with Rogersville.
Designed for nursing and pre-medical majors, Davis says the program teaches individuals how to work as a team within a community setting.
“It’s a great program, but it adds to my week,” she says. “It’s my favorite, though, so I don’t mind it at all.”
Davis’s ties to ETSU extend beyond the classroom.
As president of OASIS, she plays an active role in ETSU’s adult programs.
Davis said that the Center for Adult Programs and Services has been beneficial to her.
“For adults who are considering returning, CAPS is very encouraging and reassures an adult student that `Yes, you can do it, you’re not too old, you can learn again and there’s a whole world of opportunity available.'”
Davis’s faith is another important part of her life.
“I gave my life to the Lord when I was 21 and I wouldn’t have it any other way,”she said.
As an active member of Christ Fellowship in Kingsport, Davis works with the 3-year-olds, and left for a two-week mission trip to Vietnam Nov. 30.
“We’re going to three leper colonies, three orphanages, and an AIDS hospital,” she says. “We watched a film on a leper colony and I cried throughout it because I realized how blessed we are in this country and I forget it.”
Davis’s beliefs also influenced the career she is pursuing.
“That’s why I’m heading into the medical field because I feel the calling to go in that direction,” she said.
“I thought `I’m too old to be starting on this long road,’ but the doors just opened, so I know this is the direction I need to be headed.”
Davis wants traditional students to know that adult students are just like they are. “We’re just like everybody else,”she said. “We have all the same struggles younger students do.”
Perhaps adult students just have more “hats.

Author