91原创

Former Pixelle worker charts new course at 91原创 Chillicothe

Amanda Bowdle spent seven years mastering the machines at Pixelle Specialty Solutions. Then the mill closed, and everything stopped. 

The Frankfort resident faced a major transition. 

"It makes you think, after you lose your job, what's my next path?" she said. "What should I do?"

The answer, it turned out, was something she had tried and walked away from before.

Now she is pursuing an associate degree in computer technology from 91原创鈥檚 Russ College of Engineering and Technology at the Chillicothe Campus. She plans to graduate in 2028.

A second chance

Bowdle had attended college twice previously, leaving both times before finishing a degree. She attended Shawnee State University from 2005 to 2007 and, in 2012, came to OHIO Chillicothe, where she enjoyed cheering for the Hilltoppers. Money and lack of motivation were her primary obstacles. Life just got in the way, she said. 

When Pixelle closed, a state workforce grant covering two years of tuition for displaced mill workers eliminated one of those obstacles. Her former coworker Marlene Minnix, who had already started classes at OHIO Chillicothe, pushed Bowdle to apply and enroll.

Now, with her first semester behind her, Bowdle is happy with her choice, and she nearly made the Dean鈥檚 List. 

鈥淚 proved myself,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 showed myself that I can do it."

Adjusting to the classroom

During her first week back in school, Bowdle called Minnix in a panic. She questioned how she would make it through the semester ahead.

The answer was structure and routine. She built a weekly schedule and she stuck to it.

She also learned how she tests best. In math with Associate Professor of Instruction Kimber Lang, utilizing the testing center with private cubicles rather than an open classroom made a measurable difference in her performance.

"If I'm in my own little cubicle and everyone else is doing something different, I'm totally fine," she said. "I take my time. I do better there."

A public speaking course with Instructor Anne Greenleaf became an unexpected highlight. Bowdle, who once cheered in front of thousands, said her legs shook when she had to introduce herself to a room of recent high school graduates.

"I'm 40, and I'm the one shaking," she laughed. "But by the end of class, I realized 鈥� they're just people."

She used her informative speech on the Pixelle closure to show her younger classmates what a paper mill looked like, what it meant to a community, and what it felt like to lose it.

Modeling persistence

At home, Bowdle's return to school has an important witness and cheerleader: her 12-year-old son, who has ADHD and an IEP.

She said she had similar challenges in high school. She also heard messages that college was not for her. As her son watches his mother spread textbooks across the living room couch, two computers running and papers everywhere, Bowdle hopes he is gaining an important lesson. 

"I'm trying to teach him you can be whoever you want to be, but don't stop because someone tells you that's not you," she said.

Advice for other non-traditional students

For other displaced workers or non-traditional students considering a return to school, Bowdle's message is simple and direct.

"Don't give up. Go talk to the advisors. Take one semester at a time, take one class at a time, but don't give up," she said. "There will to be times you feel like you're going to drop the ball. Just pick that ball back up and walk with it."

She said the life experience she brings to campus makes a difference.

"There's so much growth that happened," she said. "And the big key is telling these kids and adults and older adults 鈥� you don't have to stop. Just don't ever stop."