Alonda Keeps Her Eyes on the Prize A 24-year-old single mom who never lived away from home, Alonda Walker wasn’t sure she could move from Michigan, enroll in chiropractic college and raise her baby without her family nearby. The path she’s chosen is no stroll in the park, but Alonda is thinking about her future. “A lot of people in other professions seem miserable, but everyone in chiropractic is so high energy,” she explains. “It seems like such a positive field that shapes the way you live. I like the philosophy behind chiropractic and can see myself doing it for a long time.” Although her undergraduate degree is in sociology and she planned to complete a master’s in social work, an internship in the field uncovered that it wasn’t the right fit. “I hated it and just couldn’t imagine doing it for the next 40 years.” Working in a chiropractic office in Michigan, Alonda visited LIFE University with her chiropractor and was “blown away” when she attended a LIFE Source seminar. “The whole experience was awesome, mind boggling,” she says. “I found LIFE to be this unique, positive place with great energy.” That feeling of inspiration never left her—on many days it’s what keeps her going. She put her plans on hold when little Trinity was born. “I felt really down because I had everything in place to go to LIFE but then didn’t see how I could do it with a newborn.” Alonda credits her admissions advisor, Lauren King, with encouraging her to visit the campus again and helping her figure out housing and financial aid options that enabled her to start school with a four-month-old daughter in tow. She says the welcoming LIFE University campus atmosphere has made things easier. “The professors here really want to help. It’s like a community thing, and they’re trying to help you through this. It’s one of the most positive environments I’ve ever been in.” It won’t be easy, but Alonda already has first quarter under her belt and is hunkered down into her next slate of classes. “Although I had worked in a chiropractic office when I was in undergrad, I never thought of it as a career because I wasn’t that into the sciences and didn’t think I could do it. But since I had my child, I have more nerve. I have that drive to succeed now.” She’s thinking about the future again—the one she’s making for herself and for Trinity. She has her eyes on the prize—a future where she’s jazzed by going to work every day and making a great living for her family.
