“I am determined,” said Lisa Frierson, a 44-year-old student just beginning her quest to finish her degree at Trevecca’s School of Graduate and Continuing Studies. “If I don’t do anything else for me, this will be the only thing I can call my own.”
Last August, Frierson enrolled at Trevecca, determined to fulfill her dream to finish her degree. While she has faced numerous life and health challenges over the past few years, Frierson is pushing toward completing her bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration.
Frierson is determined to reach her goal for many reasons, but one of the biggest is to keep a promise she made to her late husband.
“My inspiration was my husband,” Frierson said. “He was always asking me to finish school, [but] we had a daughter, and I was working. I was taking care of my family the best I could, but I always promised him that once I got situated, I would go back to school.”
Even so, life was busy. It never seemed like the right time for Frierson to return to her studies, but her dream didn’t fade. Her husband’s health, however, quickly declined when he started to experience heart failure a couple of years ago.
“It didn’t start with cancer,” Frierson recalled. “At first it was just his heart. Then we went back and more tests were taken because of his heart failure. He was diagnosed with metastatic stomach cancer. I quit my job to take care of him. We had a 4-year-old and still he [Frierson’s husband] kept asking me to finish school.”
Frierson’s husband passed away two years ago. It was a difficult season for Frierson and her daughters.
“When he died, I grieved like any person would,” Frierson recalled. “It was a very difficult time for my two daughters, especially the younger one. We both ended up in therapy.”
The difficulties for Frierson and her family didn’t stop there, though.
“After he passed, we lost everything,” she said. “I got sick and needed surgeries, and we lost the house we lived in. I had to stay with family for a short time while I got back on my feet. I didn’t have anyone to turn to but God.”
After Frierson found her footing, she decided it was now or never. She set out to complete her dream of finishing her degree.
“I always wanted to go to Trevecca,” she said. “My husband was a pastor, and it was a school that I knew of that would value my principles. I wanted to stay grounded since I wasn’t going to church any longer. I was admitted three days after I applied. My children were so happy. They were so proud of their momma.”
A week into her dream, however, Frierson found out she was sick yet again and needed yet another surgery. Although less complicated than the previous surgeries she’d undergone, this surgery would require six weeks of recovery time.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Frierson said. “After everything, it seemed like it wasn’t over. I told my teachers of my need to retire for a bit, and they were supportive, especially Dr. Angela Talley, who’d been an awesome inspiration to me. She gave me encouraging words that I have kept in the back of my mind when it got hard.”
According to Talley, an assistant professor of leadership studies, it’s Frierson who is the inspiration.
“Lisa has a passion for learning and took every opportunity given ensuring her success,” she said. “Her story inspired me as well as others throughout the course.”
Frierson’s recovery went well, but was complicated when she had to undergo yet another surgery. As another roadblock seemingly stalled Frierson’s path to achieving her goal, she got angry, but quickly allowed that anger to turn to determination.
“I was so angry,” she said. “It just didn’t seem like it would stop. That’s the surgery I’m currently healing from, but I will do this. I will do this for my children and my husband. I will finish my school. If I do nothing else, but accomplish this, I have done everything I want.”
Frierson started back to classes earlier this month, on Jan. 23. Through it all—numerous surgeries, health concerns and fears, all while raising her daughter—Frierson’s been able to maintain a 4.0 GPA. She remains positive and thoroughly determined and appreciates the support of her professors and classmates.
She hopes that her story and her determination to achieve her goal is an inspiration to other adult students who might be wondering if finishing their degree is even possible.
“To those who struggle, I say that no matter what your struggle is you have to take life’s hard lessons and turn them into something positive,” she said. “Let it be your inspiration. Hold your head up and be strong. If you have nothing else, you have God.”
By Hilda Elvir
Media contact: Mandy Crow, mmcrow@trevecca.edu, 615-248-1695