Countdown to Commencement
The 欧美视频 offers a community of support, allowing students
to redefine what鈥檚 possible as they forge a path to their future. With help from faculty
and staff, UCM students are empowered to be the heroes of their own stories and as
we prepare for 2025 Spring Commencement, the News Bureau is shining a spotlight on
some of those stories.
For Debra 鈥淒eb鈥� Demel, a lifelong educator with more than 30 years of classroom experience,
learning has never stopped 鈥� it鈥檚 just evolved.
A junior high teacher with a passion for making science and life lessons stick, Demel
is preparing to cross the commencement stage this spring at the University of Central
Missouri (UCM), where she鈥檒l receive a master鈥檚 degree in Human Development and Family Science. At an age when many are planning retirement, Demel is expanding her toolkit 鈥� not
for a promotion or a change of scenery, but for the simple joy of growth.
鈥淚鈥檝e always wanted to get my master鈥檚,鈥� Demel said. 鈥淚 wanted to prove to myself
I could do it. It wasn鈥檛 about anyone else 鈥� it was unfinished business.鈥�
Demel's journey back to higher education was sparked by a conversation with her husband,
Ken, a longtime UCM employee and recent departmental Employee of the Month. When the
university offered tuition benefits to spouses, Ken encouraged her without hesitation.
Before long, she was enrolled.
鈥淗e just said, 鈥楧o it,鈥欌�� Demel recalled. 鈥淎nd so I did.鈥�
The return to school wasn鈥檛 without hurdles. From navigating online systems to producing
Instagram videos for class projects 鈥� despite not being a regular social media user
鈥� Demel pushed through the technical challenges with persistence, humility and a lot
of late nights.
鈥淎t first, I thought, what did I just do? I鈥檓 a 60-year-old woman going back to school!鈥�
she laughs. 鈥淏ut I鈥檝e always believed in lifelong learning. It keeps your brain active
and your heart in the right place.鈥�
Her commitment to continued learning is more than personal. As a middle school science
teacher at Trinity Lutheran in Alma, Missouri, Demel brings what she learns straight
into her classroom, whether through a student-led STEM expo or simply by modeling
what it means to be curious, open and determined.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 mind telling my students when I don鈥檛 know something. We look it up together,鈥�
she said. 鈥淭hat teaches them how to be independent learners, and that鈥檚 as important
as anything in a textbook.鈥�
Her students know she鈥檚 been in school, too. In fact, when she struggled with a technology
assignment, an eighth grader eagerly stepped in to help. 鈥淭hey love teaching me things,鈥�
she said. 鈥淎nd I think it gives them confidence, seeing that I鈥檓 learning right alongside
them.鈥�
Demel credits her UCM professors, particularly Dr. Joyce Chang and Dr. Jaimee Hartenstein,
for their support and responsiveness. 鈥淭hey truly want you to learn,鈥� Demel said.
鈥淭hey care about who you are, not just your assignments.鈥�
鈥淒eb is the kind of student who reminds you why you teach,鈥� Chang said. 鈥淗er resilience,
intellect and deep kindness not only elevate the classroom experience but also ripple
outward into the lives of the children and families she works with.鈥�
鈥淪he鈥檚 genuinely curious, relentlessly committed and deeply compassionate,鈥� Chang
added. 鈥淚n every interaction, she brings strength and heart, and our world would be
better with more Debs in it.鈥�
Deb Demel celebrating commencement with her husband, Ken, and stepson Landon.
Even with a full teaching load and the demands of graduate coursework, Demel found
time to master skills she never thought she would, like grant writing. 鈥淎fter taking
Dr. Likcani鈥檚 class, I feel like I can competently write grants for my school,鈥� she
said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 huge in education, where funding can make a real difference.鈥�
Beyond the classroom, her journey has inspired her family. Her husband remains her
biggest cheerleader, so much so that he insisted she participate in commencement ceremonies.
Her stepson, Landon, a UCM Biology graduate, served as an indirect role model, especially during the pandemic when his
online learning piqued her curiosity. And in a meaningful twist, she and her son,
who is serving in the Air Force, are both earning master鈥檚 degrees at the same time.
So what鈥檚 next?
鈥淚鈥檓 not planning on going further formally,鈥� she said with a smile. 鈥淏ut I might
take a geology class just for fun. I love learning. Always have.鈥�
Debra Demel鈥檚 story is a reminder that it鈥檚 never too late to chase what you鈥檝e always
wanted 鈥� not for a title or the applause, but because education, at its best, is a
lifelong act of hope. And in the process, she鈥檚 done more than just learn. She鈥檚 redefined
what鈥檚 possible for herself as well as her students, her family, and anyone who鈥檚
ever wondered if it鈥檚 too late to begin again.
