Portraits of Perseverance
The grit of MBU’s non-traditional students
When adversity challenges dreams, there is one factor that can predict a chance to succeed: grit.
While grit has been in the English lexicon since the 1800s, recent research led by University of Pennsylvania Professor Angela Duckworth showcases the gravity of grit.
In a 2007 study, the research suggested that individuals who work through challenges and failures are likely to find higher success than those without adversity. And the number one factor for success in school isn’t an IQ score — it’s grit.
It is grit — the perseverance and passion for long-term goals — that brings students to not only to return to school after years away but to succeed. At MBU, the most determined and strong students were not only resolved to earn a degree for themselves but also to make a difference in others’ lives.
Stories of grit can be found throughout the history of the University. MBU has been a leader among Christian universities by supporting nontraditional students since the first class of MBU — then a St. Louis extension of Hannibal LaGrange. Among the first students was Juanita Stalnaker — then a 31-year-old married mother of two — who earned a degree in education under the tutelage of professors including Dr. William L. Muncy.
In 1996, MBU opened its first MBU extension site in Moscow Mills, Missouri, so nontraditional students in rural areas could pursue degrees. Since then, that single site has increased to 10 regional learning centers across Missouri and Illinois and flourishing online programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
For Sherry Jones, who returned to school in her 50s, the chance to influence students living in poverty and give them a chance to attend college motivated her to persevere with her degree despite working and caring for her dying husband. MBU senior and Marine Jeremiah Gibbs decided to follow a calling in community ministry after serving his country for 13 years, while running a carpentry business and caring for his children. A mother of three, Nicole Price works on her homework in the wee hours of the morning so she can eventually predict and prevent criminal behavior, while inspiring her children to continue on despite adversity. Grit isn’t pretty; it is rough and raw but essential for creating a future of beauty. Grit fights for dreams to become reality.
Jeremiah Gibbs
Once a Marine, always a Marine. Jeremiah Gibbs has seen combat in life and death situations in cities that many can’t pronounce. Many of his life-defining moments are characterized by danger greater than the common U.S. citizen will ever encounter. Now his current challenge is civilian — he’s pursuing his degree.
In 2014, Gibbs left the Marine Corps as a gunnery sergeant. Throughout his 13 years in service, Gibbs held roles in combat support, truck driving and recruitment. He enlisted in the Marine Corps right after high school.
“I was young and looking for a way to get out of my hometown to serve my country,” said Gibbs. “I was also looking for something in my life that could be respectable, that people would look up to, that people would see as a positive thing.”
At that point of time, Gibbs was not ready to commit to God’s will for his life. “At that time, I really wanted to do what I wanted to do, so I became a Marine,” said Gibbs. “All of the services have a purpose, but the Marine Corps demands and expects a little more out of you. I lived that, and that is what I enjoyed it.”
When Gibbs left the military, he was ready to follow his calling to ministry, but first he needed a college degree. Gibbs chose to attend Missouri Baptist University for its faith-based mission and the ability to seek a degree in business and take classes in Christian ministry.
For even the experienced Marine, taking 18–21 credit hours per semester — let alone attending college 14 years after graduating high school — was a challenge to overcome.
“I was scared at first,” said Gibbs. “I was a little nervous until I started, and then I realized that life had prepared me a little more for college than I expected. My responsibilities in the Marine Corps gave me the ability to handle the heavy load and stress.”
As a stay-at-home father of two, the flexibility of course offerings made it possible to pursue his degree.
“One of the biggest challenges returning to school was balancing family, my reclaimed wood carpentry business and school because I didn’t want to just go do an online degree,” said Gibbs. “I liked that MBU offered both. I could take online, and I could attend classes on the main campus.”
Even with the flexibility of coursework, attending college is challenging, but Gibbs’ work ethic and support system has helped him succeed in his journey.
“Dr. Curtis McClain and Professor Bradford both pushed me hard to try to continue pushing myself,” Gibbs said. “Having professors on campus that you can lean on helps me continue when I grow weary of doing my best.”
“I was a little nervous until I started and then I realized that life had prepared me a little more for college than I expected.”
In addition to supporting his family, achieving a degree will allow Gibbs to become a full-time missionary in a forgotten area of the United States. Gibbs has already accepted a missionary position with the Missouri Baptist Convention in the small, impoverished rural town of Charleston, Missouri.
Four years ago, Gibbs first traveled to Charleston to cook meals for the families served by the local food bank. Last year he returned to Charleston to serve as a summer missionary, and this summer he returned on his own to serve the community.
Gibbs works as a missionary helping after-school tutoring and substitute teaching in the local schools.
“Teaching in the schools is a great way to get to know the kids in the community better. Because of my classes at MBU, I can help the kids on their assignments and also the students struggling with their emotions or spiritual lives.”
In addition to tutoring and working at the food bank, Gibbs’ service to the Charleston community includes carpentry work.
“Last summer I would spend eight hours a day fixing the building, doing repairs,” said Gibbs. “I felt more like a carpenter than a missionary.”
The carpentry work led to an unexpected area of service — mentoring teenagers to become strong Christian men. In the community, many of the high schoolers lack a fatherly figure. When the young men saw Gibbs’ skill set, they asked Gibbs if he would teach them to use power tools and work on cars since they did not have a father to teach them.
“A lot of them are missing a dad that will teach them about life like my dad taught me,” said Gibbs. “I had a father that showed me how to be a Godly man. I want to be able to pass that on to young people who don’t have that male role model in life. Being in college is hard, but the courses and an upcoming degree are giving me opportunities to make a difference in their lives, and I’m thankful for that.”
Sherry Jones
At Pasta House after Sunday church, Sherry Jones’ family surrounds her, filling the expanded table. Jones wouldn’t change it. Lunch after church is a cherished tradition for her and her expansive family of biological and school children.
While some students call her Ms. Jones, many students, teachers and administrators prefer to call Sherry Jones “Mama Jones.” For many of her students, the music teacher at Jennings Junior High School is the only motherly figure in their lives.
“Many of these students have no parental support — they raise themselves,” said Jones. “I try to fill in the gap.”
Filling in the gap is both practical, emotional and spiritual. Jones will provide clothing, food and support to any student who needs help. She’ll take students to her church, then feed and spend time with the students to keep them away from a life on the street.
Life hasn’t been an easy, straight road for Jones either. She left her studies before completing her undergraduate degree to support her husband with his ministry and dreams. After seeing a flyer posted at church, Jones knew it was time to continue her dreams and signed up for classes at Missouri Baptist University.
“I knew since kindergarten that I was called to be a music teacher,” said Jones. “I taught my dolls and played as the church musician. God sent me to teach.”
Earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at MBU was a challenge, but her faith gave her strength. She worked as an administrator, taught classes at a local Catholic parish school, continued her music ministry, and cared for her family while completing coursework at MBU.
When Jones walked onto campus for her first night class, she was worried that the age-gap between her and her classmates would be difficult. But instead, it was a strength as she formed her MBU family.
“I would just sit down with them and talk, and I enjoyed my time with them,” said Jones. Her classmates too called her mama. She took them into her home for Thanksgiving or chastised them for procrastinating homework.
Her professors were also a source of strength.
Dr. Cathy Benton was her piano teacher, and they clicked. “Dr. Benton and I would take time to pray together and talk about family,” said Jones. “My professors were why I completed my degree. They supported me when my husband was dying from renal failure and I had to leave in the middle of class. There were times that I told them I couldn’t do it. They told me that quitting wasn’t an option. I was going to finish, and they would do whatever it takes to get me there.”
“She was worried that the age-gap between her and her classmates would be difficult. But instead, it was a strength as she formed her MBU family.”
When Jones’ husband passed away, her professors and students attended the visitation and would check in with Jones to see how they could help her. That strength supported Jones, helping her finish a master’s degree in 2010 after earning her bachelor’s degree in 2008.
Like her professors were to her, Jones wants to be a source of strength and hope for her students. She is the school’s first music teacher to stay, and her students are now a part of her family.
For this year’s graduating eighth-graders of Jennings’ College Prep and Career Academy, Jones is instrumental in their process of pursuing their dreams. These young students are in accelerated classes so they can graduate from high school with an associates degree. For them, this is their chance to pursue their ambition of becoming a cardiologist, pediatrician, attorney and musician, Jones said.
In their first year, these students didn’t have anywhere to go one period of their schedule. Jones decided to do more than supervise a study hall — she exposed them to the world of music and taught them piano. Two and a half years later, these students are now musicians, playing challenging songs such as “Flight of the Bumblebee.”
Jones gives her students more than musical chops. She helps them discover the strength to persist despite adversity and serves as a supportive ally.
Among these students is eighth-grader Taviah Crume.
“Mama Jones is like family,” she said. “When I have problems, I always go to her, and she helps me work it out. She takes us places like the theatre and church, just like a real mom.”
A fellow eighth-grader, Devin Elkins, agrees.
“I don’t want to leave her class,” she said. “As of now, our high school classes won’t allow for any electives — including piano. She’s fighting for a way to teach us next year.”
Nina Ely aspires to become a cardiologist, and piano is playing a vital role in helping her achieve her dreams.
“Piano helps me express myself and focus on my studies,” said Ely.
“Ms. Jones introduced me to this love. When I go to college, I plan on using piano as a way to help to do well in my studies.”
When asked how the students have the strength to persevere in adversity, the answers are in unison and automatic: “It’s Mama Jones.”
Nicole Price
It’s four days until Mother’s Day, and stay-at-home mother Nicole Price can’t stop gushing about her children. Her day and life revolve around her children of 2, 6 and 12 years. Walks to the park, helping her children with their homework, and family games of UNO are all in the daily routine. But as the children are tucked into bed, Price makes another selfless choice-to complete her homework.
While applying for mortgages for her family’s first home, she realized the gravity of relying on her husband to be the breadwinner for her family. That same year, her husband crushed his foot to add to his already shattered back. Price decided she needed to finish her bachelor’s degree online so she could add to her family’s financial security and relieve the pressure to provide from her husband’s shoulders.
Attending college was always a part of the plan, but Price’s plans were railroaded when her now-husband was in a serious car accident and her children came into her life. In high school, she set her goal high — she wanted to earn her Doctorate in Psychology to become a clinical psychologist.
Price’s career aspirations aren’t surprising to those who know her well. In addition to her strong desire to help others, she has curiosity about why people behave the way they do. What led the woman to rob a bank? What led him to commit murder? When Price was in high school, the Laci Peterson trial was underway. She was perplexed about why Anthony Peterson would kill his pregnant wife and decided that she would find out why. Price’s goal is to become skilled and renowned enough to work with Peterson or to have access to study his records.
Getting to that point isn’t easy. She is determined that her schooling won’t negatively affect her children. She only works on her homework after bedtime. When one of her children awakens with night tremors, she runs to comfort them even if it means she runs out of time on her online test.
“My kids are my first priority — school is second,” said Price. “If caring and comforting my children causes me to receive the grade of ‘B’ instead of an ‘A,’ so be it.”
Faith is the integral source of strength for Price.
“Without my faith, I don’t think I would have the strength to do what I do daily, let alone go to school,” said Price. “It was a definite push by God to do this. I believe He said this needed to happen and put it inside me and said, ‘Do it.’”
Her church family is also a village of support and love.
“They are our kids’ aunts, grandpas and cousins,” said Price. “If my husband and I didn’t have such a strong relationship with God and our church family, we couldn’t do it.”
With strength credited to God, Price receives top grades despite her extraordinary challenges. Even though Price and her family battled illness this year, she fought through the sickness to turn in every assignment on time. Even when her family is well, she stays up until 3:30 a.m. to complete her homework and begins her day again at 6:30 a.m.
Some nights, her step-daughter will stay up with Price for a few hours, mesmerized by Price’s determination and strength to pursue a degree. Price wants her journey to achieve her dream to inspire her children.
“They need to see that no matter what life throws, you can persevere,” said Price. “I want them to ignore the naysayers telling them they can’t do it and know that they can do it.”
“They need to see that no matter what life throws, you can persevere. I want them to ignore the naysayers telling them they can’t do it, and know that they can do it.”
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