Robyn Pursley is NOT your traditional college student. The personable Head Cheer Coach at Dalton State is an inspiration to her 7 year old daughter, Braylle, and to the athletes she trains for Roadrunner Spirit and Competition Cheer.

The 2006 graduate of Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School was hired in early December of 2012 to build Dalton State cheer from the ground up. Like other programs in the young athletic department, cheer has come a long way in a short time.

Pursley is now juggling her coaching duties with a part time job in cosmetology and another in food services for the Dalton Convention Center. She has also now become a full time honor student at Dalton State with a 3.81 GPA. Pursuing an Associate Degree in Respiratory Therapy is her short term goal. Dalton State College currently has only 15 students in the program and kudos to her instructors, Christie Walker and Max Pierce. She then wants to pursue a Biology/ Pre-Med degree.

"After having gone through several situations where I was the main bread winner in my home, I knew that I was capable of achieving a Bachelor's degree or a degree in a challenging field," she said. "I wanted to be able to provide a better life for my daughter, and I wanted her to see strength and achievement through me. I feel that through opportunities provided to me, I will be able to set a great example so that she will not have to be a non-traditional student. She will be able to follow a more traditional path through college and earn her degree in a timely manner to have a successful life."

Beginning college so long after graduation was anything but easy. "That was interesting coming back into a student setting, reverting back to things that I had not thought of in many years" Pursley said. "It's almost like not having used muscles in a very long time and then you start working out and go all out. I was sore at first and it was scary knowing that this could either be a big failure or it could be really amazing, and not just for my daughter to see, but for these athletes to see."

The coach sees herself as a role model for traditional students and for others who may wish to go back to school. "Most athletes come in as traditional students. It could be really wonderful for them to see a single mother, someone with a full-time job, someone who commutes a good amount of time to get here, to own a home and have responsibilities and built a complex life, to do something like go back to school for a degree they felt passionate about. My hope is that someone will see me pursuing a very difficult but also very rewarding route and will find courage that they too can accomplish such goals as to enter the medical field, to be a teacher, to go into criminal justice, or science and biology, all the wonderful things that this institution has to offer. They have worked so well with me as a non-traditional student. I really would love to reach out to non-traditional students so they can be encouraged and inspired to something, if that's what their hearts desire."

Pursley says she has even been "very creative" on how to use her 40 minute commutes from her home in Rossville. "When I had regular classes I would do a lot of recording of lectures on my phone and I would plug into my car and listen while I drive."

She is aware that the decision had its risks. "It could have gone horribly wrong if I had not done so well in my classes," she said. Going back to school after almost 10 years did have drawbacks, but she didn't feel fully prepared for college right out of high school.

"My 18 year old mind did not wrap itself around the idea of, you're sitting in a classroom in May, and you have to raise your hand just to go to the bathroom. Two months later, everyone is looking at you, expecting you to make a very important life decision selecting a career path, selecting options for your future. That's a big jump. I have had many years of life decisions. I now know what it takes to sacrifice my time to study, what it takes to be creative, and what it takes to manage my time and other resources very well."

Pursley is now taking advantage of a full scholarship through Dalton State Athletics. "Dalton State College has changed my life in many ways," she said. "It's been a challenge to take advantage of all of the opportunities. It has come with a
lot of hard work and sacrifice, but with this scholarship through athletics I will achieve amazing things. I know that I have chosen some more difficult paths within my life. Going back to school and being a student while also being a coach and a leader within this institution was going to be a very difficult challenge, but having accomplished this, there is so much reward. My hope is that my daughter sees strength and achievement through me, and that my athletes see encouragement and something positive come from struggle."

The single parent says Dalton State offers many options. "I took courses throughout the summer, I took night courses, and I have taken morning courses. Online and hybrid courses are available, and I have taken some eight-week courses, some six- week courses, and even a four-week Chemistry course. All of this has helped me grow in life skills. I had to grow and manage my time very well. Dalton State College offers non-traditional students opportunities that will allow them to work, to parent. There are options available if someone wants to make an impact on others, if someone wants to become a strong provider for his or her family, and if someone wants to make a difference In someone else's life through their example and their career choices."