{"id":1436,"date":"2025-11-05T14:15:54","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T14:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/?p=1436"},"modified":"2025-11-05T14:27:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T14:27:13","slug":"healing-hope-first-gen-student","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/2025\/11\/05\/healing-hope-first-gen-student\/","title":{"rendered":"A First-Gen Journey of Healing and Hope"},"content":{"rendered":"
When Mika Sheppard first arrived at Marshall University, she was doing something she once thought was out of reach.<\/p>\n

After getting sober in 2018, Mika began rebuilding her life and decided it was time to pursue the education she never thought possible. In December, she will graduate with a bachelor\u2019s degree in social work.<\/p>\n

\n\t Being accepted into Marshall has shown me that my past does not define me.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Mika Sheppard<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

\u201cAs someone who didn\u2019t graduate high school, college felt intimidating,\u201d Mika said. \u201cBeing accepted into Marshall has shown me that my past does not define me and that I can do hard things when I put my mind to it and put in the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

At 31, Mika applied to Marshall after hearing about Student Support Services (SSS)<\/a> through a friend who had just graduated. She quickly found the community and encouragement she needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore SSS, college was overwhelming,\u201d she said. \u201cThey helped me in every way possible and made things easier to manage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Mika
Mika Sheppard with Caylin France, a student support specialist at Marshall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Student Support Services\u00a0has given Mika the support she has needed throughout her college journey; the support that has helped her navigate the challenges of being a first-generation college student<\/a>. The program provided her <\/span>academic guidance and class supplies, but most importantly, it gave Mika a sense of belonging.<\/p>\n

She also found unwavering encouragement from Caylin France, a student support specialist who has been one of her biggest supporters.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaylin is awesome,\u201d Mika said. \u201cShe truly cares about her students and wants to see us succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Majoring in social work, Mika discovered her calling: helping others overcome challenges like those she once faced. Before starting at Marshall, she worked as a peer recovery support specialist, assisting individuals in substance use recovery. That experience inspired her to earn a degree that would allow her to make a larger impact.<\/p>\n

\"Marshall<\/p>\n

At Marshall, Mika has built a strong foundation in counseling, advocacy and community support\u2014skills she plans to carry into her future career. Her goal is to become a clinical therapist, focusing on children and families.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe social work program has taught me not only about others, but about my own growth and strength,\u201d Mika said.<\/p>\n

She credits her professors and mentors in the College of Health Professions for helping her gain the confidence to reach her goals, especially during personal hardships such as the loss of her father.<\/p>\n

\n\t It\u2019s going to get rough, but don\u2019t give up.<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t- Mika Sheppard<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n

For Mika, her Marshall journey has been about more than earning a degree, it\u2019s been about creating a future.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy favorite part of being a student at Marshall has been getting to experience college life to the fullest,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s been worth it 100 times over. I\u2019ve made lifelong friends and connections, and this degree is going to allow me to have a career, not just a job.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coming from a background of addiction and foster care, Mika is proud of how far she\u2019s come and hopes her story encourages other first-generation students to keep moving forward, no matter the obstacles.<\/p>\n

Her advice to others is simple but powerful: \u201cIt\u2019s going to get rough, but don\u2019t give up.\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Mika Sheppard first arrived at Marshall University, she was doing something she once thought was out of reach. After getting sober in 2018, Mika began rebuilding her life and decided it was time to pursue the education she never thought possible. In December, she will graduate with a bachelor\u2019s degree in social work. \u201cAs […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":198,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-moments"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1436"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1448,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1436\/revisions\/1448"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.marshall.edu\/moments\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}