Non-Traditional but Together

A wonderful reflection written by Returning Women Student Scholar and Newcombe Scholarship recipient, Carrie Cleveland.

Carrie Cleveland ’16, Social Work, is a member of UMBC’s Returning Women’s Mentoring Group.

Yesterday someone told me I was invisible.

My first thought was that the word invisible was the best adjective to describe me as a member of this campus community. My second thought was just how sad that would have made me feel a year ago, before I helped form a network of people like me.

So what makes me invisible? If you were to line me up with one hundred other students who were a representative sample of UMBC’s student population, I doubt I would stand out, because what makes me different is not especially apparent: my age.  The beautiful thing about being surrounded by a wonderful group of traditional-aged students (18-25 years old) is that no one realizes just how old I am.  Most students guess that I am older than they are, but not by much.  When I say I am…