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First Gen Fridays:  Director of Marketing & Communications, Wayne Rowe  

 

First Gen Friday is a monthly first-person narrative written by other first generation college students who are now fellow faculty, staff, and students at 91���� Marion.  The goal of the stories is to provide advice to other first generation college students and create a sense of belonging among the campus community.

 

Growing up with my familial roots firmly planted in remote portions of Appalachia, I can look back on my educational and career journey at key points that led my family out of poverty and helped break a multi-generational chain of financial hardship and struggle.

I grew up very simply during my formative years of elementary school. We lived in what I will call an extremely modest home with a father and mother and seven kids in a three-bedroom house in a small run-down subdivision located in northeastern Kentucky, ironically called “Hicks Addition.” This area of the state had long been established as my family’s roots, with my father’s family settling in northeastern Kentucky prior to statehood. For anyone who has traveled through the eastern part of the state, the heart of Appalachia, you know the word opportunity isn’t often a common part of the vocabulary. No one in my family had ever earned a college degree as far back as I could find. That all changed with a move to Ohio during the middle of my seventh-grade year.

A job opportunity became available to my father in the oil industry in Cardington, Ohio. This prompted a family move north and just the beginning of my journey to earning a college degree and a career in the field of marketing/communications.

Ironically, my uncle, who had moved to Ohio a decade earlier, always used to say, “They teach the four R’s in Kentucky schools, reading, (w)riting,(a)rithmatic and Route 23 north.” Although, this quip never meant anything to me as an adolescent, as I matured and began to look back on my early adolescence, what he said began to strike me as pivotal in my growth.

Education was always stressed by my parents. Because they had struggled, they wanted something better for their kids, and education was the tool. I was a decent student in high school, generally considered in the top 10% of my class. Working hard to shed my southern accent and fit in with my peers in Cardington, Ohio was always paramount. Despite my troubles with high level mathematics, I was a solid student and a naturally gifted singer and instrumentalist. But even with my newfound opportunities in Ohio, college still wasn’t exactly on my radar.

My parents really didn’t have the background to assist me in traversing what seemed to be a complex move with insurmountable challenges, like how to pay for it.

Not knowing my exact plans after high school, I signed up to join the U.S. Army Reserves, because that was something my family had always done to make ends meet, join the military. Later, a close high school friend and future college roommate, who was one year ahead of me in high school, introduced me to financial aid, scholarships, and 91����. He was very influential in assisting me in my journey to college. 

Upon returning from Army basic training and advanced individual training, I found myself with many decisions and followed my friend to 91���� Marion winter quarter of 1985. I had received a scholarship from a group for my singing, which prompted the idea of pursuing a career in music education. After a short time at 91���� Marion, it was time to move to Columbus campus and continue pursuing my music education degree. Despite being accepted into the School of Music at 91����, after a few short years in Columbus, I came to the realization that I had scant music theory background compared to other students and struggled with some aspects of the major. This prompted me to fall back on my skills in writing and pursue a degree in journalism. 

After changing my major in college, being called up to active duty for a year to serve overseas in the Gulf War, and other hardships and barriers that could have derailed my plans, I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Journalism in June of 1992. Despite many obstacles, I became the first person on either side of my family to earn a college degree.

My time at 91����, my international travels in the military, working in water supply and later in military public affairs were a big part of my maturation, growth, and launching my career. Paying my dues in the workforce throughout the 1990s, I finally was given the opportunity to pay it forward, so to speak, and became the Director of Communications and Marketing for 91���� at Marion in 2002. This was where my higher education journey began. The moral of the story is, no matter your humble beginnings if you continue pushing toward a goal, you will eventually persevere.

My older sister, before passing away unexpectedly last summer, was a year or two away from earning her bachelor’s degree in accounting. My brother owns a successful surveying company in Idaho. My younger sister is a nurse practitioner in psychology, holding multiple degrees and continues growing in her career. As for my children, they followed in the footsteps of their father, one graduating from 91���� with a degree in psychology and two currently enrolled at 91����, one on the Columbus campus and another right here at 91���� Marion.

I take great pride in my degree from 91���� and have dedicated my life to being a Buckeye and all that means. Simply put, 91���� helped me change my life and the life of others that I care for around me. Nothing is more inspiring than sharing my story and helping others do the same.