Muskingum student fights to earn degree

Jeremy VanMeter was angry ­-- angry at having to drive a forklift every day, angry that he wasn't where he really wanted to be: in school.

He remembers the day this past summer when he decided to do something about it.

"I left work, irritated by the entire past year," he said. "And beyond that, I was very negative, because I thought for some reason I deserved better, that I had worked my ass off my entire high school career banking on the fact that my academic excellence would help me get a full ride in college, not get me an hourly job pushing pallets into trucks."

So the 21-year-old drove that mile, parked in the commuter lot, walked into Montgomery Hall past several administrative offices and tapped on the vice president for [Muskingum University] enrollment's office door to ask for a few minutes of his time. The man obliged.

After VanMeter laid out his story and extenuating circumstances, [the vice president] said he could help.

About four weeks into the fall 2008 semester of his junior year, VanMeter left Muskingum. He didn't leave by choice; he was forced to due to changes in his financial aid.

"My leave had nothing to do with grades; I was getting A's in all my classes," said VanMeter. He pressed that he wanted to come back to school.

"In total, I lost qualification for around $10,000 that year, which was previously awarded based on need," said VanMeter. "The federal Pell Grant was the biggest hit, which accounted for almost half of that loss."

He tried to take out loans to compensate for the gap, but the ones he qualified for still left him short. When he didn't come up with the money, he left campus.

"What I learned was this: federal guidelines are not generous to people who claim to be ‘independent,'" VanMeter said.. "Last year, you could say that I was a person who ‘fell through the cracks'...Most of all, I felt personally defeated. I was angry too."

When he was 19, VanMeter thought getting straight A's in high school guaranteed him a college education.

He was wrong. He never felt like he was better than anyone else, he pointed out.

"Everyone struggles to get to where they are and make it through life. I guess this feeling I had was disappointment because my high school teachers encouraged me to study hard and focus on academic excellence, and that because of this I could go far in college," said VanMeter.

He quickly discovered that wasn't the case. Money plays a big role too.

VanMeter insists his story is not unique.

"There are thousands, probably tens of thousands more who have a similar story as mine," said VanMeter. "The system is not set up to make sure all people succeed. Likewise, education is not a fundamental right in this country. It is a privilege. I believe my strongest advocate during this process was God. Looking back, I think last year's ordeal was further evidence to me that every person has a purpose in life."

Despite his absence from school, his political education continued outside the classroom.

With a resume already peppered with political experience, he used his time off to open a chapter of Young Democrats in Fairfield County as well as a Democratic headquarters for the 2008 campaigns, which is still open today.

He also got a job as a forklift operator at NFI Industries in New Concord, Ohio. But Jeremy spent the majority of his hiatus continuing his work as a member of the Berne Union Board of Education.

Jeremy has returned to Muskingum this semester, finally able to focus on his own formal education again. Despite having previously been told that he could only register as an "independent" on the FAFSA if he was age 24, a veteran, or married, the unique circumstances regarding his relationship with his parents, he would qualify. Being an independent allowed him to avoid reporting his parent's income on the FAFSA, and being granted a dependency override. It was a long process, but the outcome, he says, was worth it.

The feelings of anger are gone now. Going to college is a privilege, VanMeter acknowledges. He walks down the halls smiling, stopping to speak with old friends who seem very excited to have him back on campus. But his concerns remain with the students he continues to help oversee in Fairfield County. He knows all too well what troubles might lie ahead for them.

"The realization was that for me, ‘going far' was dependent not upon how smart I was or how hard I studied but whether or not I could show [the university] the money," he said.

VanMeter says this perspective is what helped him become so passionate about public education. "Our K-12 system affords every child, no matter if his or her parents are rich or poor or in the middle, an equal opportunity to learn, grow, feel valued and experience success."

His education continues both inside and outside the classroom, and the experiences, both good and bad, equally provide a means to evolve from being just another kid to becoming a seasoned political professional.

"At every turn I met these ordinary people," he said of his time away from school, "and every person I met had something extraordinary to teach me."

Joshua Chaney, is the Web Editor of the Black & Magenta, and also contributes to The Cram, a featured student blog on PoliticsDaily.com. The above story was just an excerpt of the original published on PoliticsDaily.com. Click here to view the story in its entirety.