Breadcrumb
Still Learning, Still Leading: A Veteran Educator’s Journey to a Master’s Degree at UCM
By Alex Greenwood, May 5, 2025
Countdown to Commencement
The ŷƵ offers a community of support, allowing students to redefine what’s 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 “Deb” Demel, a lifelong educator with more than 30 years of classroom experience, learning has never stopped — it’s 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’ll receive a master’s degree in Human Development and Family Science. At an age when many are planning retirement, Demel is expanding her toolkit — not for a promotion or a change of scenery, but for the simple joy of growth.
“I’ve always wanted to get my master’s,” Demel said. “I wanted to prove to myself I could do it. It wasn’t about anyone else — it was unfinished business.”
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.
“He just said, ‘Do it,’” Demel recalled. “And so I did.”
The return to school wasn’t without hurdles. From navigating online systems to producing Instagram videos for class projects — despite not being a regular social media user — Demel pushed through the technical challenges with persistence, humility and a lot of late nights.
“At first, I thought, what did I just do? I’m a 60-year-old woman going back to school!” she laughs. “But I’ve always believed in lifelong learning. It keeps your brain active and your heart in the right place.”
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.
“I don’t mind telling my students when I don’t know something. We look it up together,” she said. “That teaches them how to be independent learners, and that’s as important as anything in a textbook.”
Her students know she’s been in school, too. In fact, when she struggled with a technology assignment, an eighth grader eagerly stepped in to help. “They love teaching me things,” she said. “And I think it gives them confidence, seeing that I’m learning right alongside them.”
Demel credits her UCM professors, particularly Dr. Joyce Chang and Dr. Jaimee Hartenstein, for their support and responsiveness. “They truly want you to learn,” Demel said. “They care about who you are, not just your assignments.”
“Deb is the kind of student who reminds you why you teach,” Chang said. “Her 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.”
“She’s genuinely curious, relentlessly committed and deeply compassionate,” Chang added. “In every interaction, she brings strength and heart, and our world would be better with more Debs in it.”
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. “After taking Dr. Likcani’s class, I feel like I can competently write grants for my school,” she said. “That’s huge in education, where funding can make a real difference.”
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’s degrees at the same time.
So what’s next?
“I’m not planning on going further formally,” she said with a smile. “But I might take a geology class just for fun. I love learning. Always have.”
Debra Demel’s story is a reminder that it’s never too late to chase what you’ve always wanted — not for a title or the applause, but because education, at its best, is a lifelong act of hope. And in the process, she’s done more than just learn. She’s redefined what’s possible for herself as well as her students, her family, and anyone who’s ever wondered if it’s too late to begin again.
Check the News Bureau daily, May 5-9, as we share stories of UCM graduates who are redefining what’s possible and shaping the future, one step across the stage at a time.