Senior Spotlight: Setbacks can lead to success

Nursing major switched to communication sophomore year, graduates two years later

One of the hardest, yet most important lessons senior communication major Malarie Yoder learned during her time at Waynesburg University is that having a plan sometimes does not mean anything. 

“There are other things out there that God is leading you to, and you have to understand that God is making the plan for you,” Yoder said. “I knew where I was, what was going to happen and I got kind of thrown out the window my sophomore year.”

During freshman year, Yoder entered Waynesburg with a 20 year plan to become a nurse for the army. Nothing else mattered: she was determined to become a nurse.

When classes became difficult, she worked harder. To say the least, Yoder was dedicated.

However, second semester sophomore year, Yoder had to drop out of a pharmacology class because of her mental health.

“I would know the material … but I would stress so much during the exam that I would blank and fail the exam,” she said.

Despite her stress and anxiety, Yoder said she was going to continue with the nursing program after the summer… until something changed her mind.

“Something told me, ‘don’t do it, that’s not a good decision, figure something else out.’ So, it was around June or July I reached out to Brian Carr,” Yoder said. 

One of the options Bryan Carr, director of the Pathways Center, offered Yoder was to try out a new two-year major, general communication, in the Department of Communication. 

“Bryan Carr contacted me and said he had a student who was in the middle of changing majors and was looking for a landing spot,” Richard Krause, chair of the Department of Communication said. “Based on conversation with the student, Bryan really thought she would be a great fit.”

After deliberating dropping out of college and ROTC all together, Yoder decided to attempt completing the general communication major. And after one week, Yoder said the Department of Communication welcomed her into the family. 

“Malarie has brought a lot of energy to the department and was a very pleasant surprise,” Krause said.

When Yoder first joined the Department of Communication, she said she was worried that she would be an outcast.

“But really, [they] took me in and we all grew together. And that really showed me that, like, you can’t just expect things … people are far more accepting than we give them credit for,” she said. 

During her short two years in the department, Dr. Chad Sherman, associate professor of communication, said Yoder thrived and quickly became a helping hand to many students.

“I saw her grow a lot as someone who went from a new person coming in for their final two years to someone who is a leader for a lot of students … helping students with tutoring and always being willing to ask people if they are okay and lending a sympathetic ear to them,” Sherman said. 

Courtesy of Chad Sherman
Malerie Yoder (left), Joshua Hughes (back left), Lachlan Loudon (right), and Rachel Pellegrino (back right)

Aside from helping other students, Yoder was also involved in the department through the newspaper, The Yellow Jacket and the school yearbook. However, what took up most of Yoder’s time was ROTC.

“ROTC has been up and down the past four years, but really it’s the only solidity I’ve had,” she said.

Yoder will continue with ROTC training in September, where she will train to be an AG second lieutenant officer for the United States Army. 

Once training is complete in January, she will head to Fort Campbell in Kentucky for the next four years to work as a human resources officer. 

Through her time in the Department of Communication, Krause said Yoder exemplified resilience, determination and dedication, all of which she will carry with her to her future endeavors in the army.

“I feel very blessed that she was a student in our department and that we got to work with her. It’s going to be really exciting to see what she accomplishes in life,” Krause said.