24. Nontraditional Students: My Experiences, Advice, & Reflections From My Nontraditional Academic Path

On episode 24 of A Chat with Uma, I share a comprehensive overview of my experience and journey as a non-traditional question - informed and shaped by the many questions from listeners & this community on this topic! I first operationally define the concept of a non-traditional student, sharing the various contributing factors that give rise to holding this identity. I share my full timeline and trajectory as a non-traditional student, explaining the circumstances that contributed to my divergent journey. I speak to the unique barriers and obstacles that I faced as a non-traditional student in returning back to school, as well as further goals and aspirations that required disclosure of this identity/label. I share at length about the unique stigmas, judgments, and misperceptions placed on non-traditional students and the ways that I have navigated them so far. This episode serves to provide a voice to students who hold this title and reframe the way that we view divergent journeys. This episode also provides a safe and supportive space to validate and empower people from different walks of life to pursue this path with hope, pride, and ownership of their identities and lived experiences. Topics Discussed (+ timestamps): (00:00:00) Hello, check-in, overview of episode (00:07:05) Update: ⁠⁠Video + event recording repository⁠⁠ of many past events (00:10:35) Update: You can now support my work on ⁠⁠Ko-Fi!⁠⁠ (00:13:11) What is a non-traditional student? Definition, conceptualization, orientation to episode (00:16:26) The background and story of how I became a non-traditional student - Severe mental and physical chronic illnesses - Failing out of school after 2 years with a 1.83 GPA - My 2nd degree in music school - Losing my voice to cancer - How I went back to my first degree as a non-traditional student - Contextual episodes:

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠01. My Full Story: 0 to 26⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 02-04. My Mental Health Journey: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Part 1⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Part 2⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Part 3⁠⁠⁠⁠ (00:25:06) Officially becoming a non-traditional student, how I decided to go back to school (00:32:17) Completing my undergraduate degree, how I ended up pursuing my master's degree and now my Ph.D (00:49:06) Speaking to the stigmas, misperceptions, barriers, and unique experiences of non-traditional students (00:56:08) Lack of consent in disclosure and privacy of identity and related experiences, diagnoses, and circumstances for non-traditional students (01:00:51) Lessons learned, final reflections, and future explorations and episodes on this topic Connect with me!

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