UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — When La Keisha Wade-Malone came to Penn State from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands in August 2011, she did not know what to expect.

Wade-Malone was 17 years old when she first arrived at University Park, and she quickly noticed the differences between campus and her small hometown.

“It was a bit of a culture shock. I was ready to leave home, but I didn’t really know what I would lose once I got here. For the first month or so, I was still really homesick,” Wade-Malone said. “But it was still also a shock, because I went from a predominantly African American place to being maybe one of a thousand.”

As Wade-Malone got acquainted with the University and met friends through campus organizations, the transition became easier.

But her experience was not without challenges. In December of 2013, Wade-Malone withdrew from Penn State when her scholarships were no longer enough to cover tuition.

Millie Rodriguez faced a similar plight with a scholarship she received to attend a private Jesuit university in Kansas.

But despite initial challenges, Wade-Malone and Rodriguez returned to higher education at Penn State as adult learners and they both graduated as first-generation students.

Penn State celebrates nontraditional students — including first-generation, adult, veteran and parenting students — during Nontraditional Student Recognition Week, Nov. 4-11. Leslie Laing, director for Adult Learner Programs and Services in Student Affairs said she knows the journey of the first generation and adult learners having been one herself. 

“First Gen students are courageous trailblazers that go the distance to succeed. We often navigate through the shadows, hurdle life's situational, institutional and dispositional barriers to achieve our educational goals with very little financial support,” said Laing. “Courage, involvement, mentorship and money make all the difference. I recognize and celebrate the achievements of both of these fabulous women.”

After paying off her student loans, Rodriguez applied to universities with the goal of building a fulfilling career.

“I realized I just didn’t want to work paycheck to paycheck,” she said. “So I applied to a couple of different schools, and Penn State accepted me. I thought ‘Ok, well, there’s my answer. I’m going to school.’”

Rodriguez came to Penn State’s Scranton campus in her mid-twenties in August 1995 to stay close to her parent’s home in northeast Pennsylvania. She was admitted as a provisional student, meaning she had to achieve a certain GPA in her first semester to continue her education. Rodriguez not only met this requirement, but excelled, earning scholarships from the University. 

Seeking a bigger school feel, Rodriguez moved to University Park a year and a half later in January 1997.

In addition to studying secondary education, English and communications, Rodriguez was involved in the West Halls student government, the University Park Allocation Committee and the Puerto Rican Student Association — where she served as secretary and president.

Rodriguez, who grew up in New York, said she was inspired to pursue these organizations by her counselor from the Multicultural Resource Center.

“There was a time where I was like ‘I just don’t like it here.’ I thought I would feel more at home, like in New York City. It’s a beautiful campus and there are a lot of students, but it’s not like New York City,” Rodriguez said. “But [my counselor] encouraged me to really get involved and not worry about it. I really looked up to her. She just treated me like she really cared.”

Mirroring this sentiment, Wade-Malone said the Caribbean Student Association made Penn State’s campus “easier to navigate.”

“[The Caribbean Student Association] became my home away from home, as cliché as that sounds,” she said. “They became my family, because we all had a common ground — we were all from the Caribbean or we were first-generation students.”

Wade-Malone returned to Penn State as an adult in the fall of 2019, this time with a new major in mind. Although she started in biology, Wade-Malone was inspired to pursue a degree in human development and family studies. 

She added that her academic adviser, the director of Adult Learner Programs and Services and the assistant dean of diversity and inclusion from the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, helped her make a smooth transition back to school.

Wade-Malone graduated from Penn State this past August. She is a direct support professional for two women with intellectual and developmental disabilities at Strawberry Fields and the lead Pre-K teacher for KinderCare in State College. In May 2023, Wade-Malone will start a post-baccalaureate program at Temple University in preparation for medical school — which she plans to apply for in 2024.

Wade-Malone hopes to become a gynecologist — specializing in fetal and maternal medicine — and open her own practice in St. Thomas.

“Our healthcare system isn’t the best [in St. Thomas],” she said. “It’s not the worst, but I want to be in a position to have the knowledge and experience to boost our healthcare back home.”

Rodriguez graduated from Penn State in 2000 and taught middle and high school students for about 14 years, moving from Dover, Delaware to Frederick, Maryland to Waynesboro. For the past five years, she has worked several different positions at University Park, including her current role as a counselor in the MRC.

She said she always wanted to work in the Paul Robeson Cultural Center or the MRC, because she considered these places “homes” when she was a student.

“The Puerto Rican Student Association had an office in the PRCC, so I would go there a lot to do homework, relax and meet with members,” Rodriguez said. “One semester, I was unsure how to pay the rest of my tuition bill, so my MRC counselor sent me to talk to a specific contact in financial aid. He was able to find a scholarship for me, so I didn’t have to worry about the money and I could focus on my studies instead.”

Rodriguez added that she strives to return the support shown to her by University faculty and staff when she was a student.

“[Students should] feel comfortable reaching out to [their] professors or professional staff, because we are here because we care,” Rodriguez added. “We really do want to help improve their experience and help them be as successful as they can be.”

The Office of Adult Learner Programs and Services, a unit of Penn State Student Affairs, provides advocacy, mentorship, programming and helpful resources for non-traditional undergraduate students during their educational journey.