An STLCC-Meramec alumnus finally reaps the rewards of his education
By: Luelana Bustamante
-Staff Writer-
Students can be compared to children wanting a cookie before supper, according to Linda Copeland, assistant professor in the English department at STLCC-Meramec. “They want it now. But part of growing up is to learn how to wait. The successful students know that all the rewards for what they do are way down the road,” Copeland said.
Michael Cooper, 39, is one of these students who knew that he had to be patient and study a lot to get his cookie.
“I just kept my eyes on the prize,” said Cooper, who decided to come back to school four years ago 20 years after he had finished high school, married with a baby son to take care of.
Cooper started at Meramec with the basics, studying English 030 (Introduction to College Writing). After only two years, he completed general education requirements and graduated from the honors program. He was accepted into the University of Missouri-Saint Louis with a full scholarship and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology, class 2010.
After years of dedication, Michael Cooper will finally get his cookie. In August, he will start his first year of medical school at Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.
“I was really scared; there is no doubt. I had a lot of fear about coming back to school because of just not knowing what to expect,” Cooper noted seriously.
According to Cooper, he was not a good student in high school. But the difference now is his motivation, his commitment and his working hard.
“I have a goal; I have a purpose. I know what I want to achieve,” Cooper said. In Cooper’s opinion, when students put in the time, they can be successful at school.
According to Eric Meyer, assistant professor of English and honors program coordinator at Meramec, Cooper put in more than time: he was a hard worker, persistent and had good ambitions.
“Cooper was fully engaged at Meramec and intellectually curious,” Meyer said.
Professor Linda Copeland, Cooper’s first teacher at Meramec, attributes Cooper’s success to his level of commitment. According to Copeland, Cooper didn’t want somebody to just pat him on the head and tell him everything he did was wonderful; he wanted the critical comments. He wanted to know how he could improve.
“Michael didn’t want it easy. He wanted to be challenged so he could do the best he could do,” Copeland said.
Cooper did his best with a lot of work and little sleep. Sometimes he had to study after putting his baby to bed. When he was finished studying and ready to sleep, he would only be able to sleep for a little while because he had to wake up in the middle of the night to take care of his baby. Cooper thought it wasn’t fair for his wife to take care of the baby and to work all day to sustain the house.
“But it all worked out. I mean, I just had a lot less hours to sleep, and I still don’t remember when it was the last time I saw a movie,” Cooper said while laughing.
As Meyer pointed out, it was a worth-while effort. “Mike is an example that the hard work, the giving up some of your social life and dedicating yourself to Meramec and to academic studies fairly pays off,” Meyer said.
All the work that Cooper is doing is gradually getting him closer to his goal. According to Copeland, students like Cooper who know that it takes time to reach big goals, make good students.
“Michael knows that he doesn’t have to have his cookie right away. And to me, that’s what makes a good student,” Copeland said.
