Watching My Daughter Grow at NMU - NMU Blog

Four years ago my daughter, after visiting several colleges, chose NMU. I, for the life of me, could not figure out why. “You want to go that far north? Where they get four feet of snow?” Little did I know that can happen over a long February weekend. Still, her mind was made up and I knew better than to debate. NMU has a good nursing school and was at least a 5-6 hour trip by car. Plus, she had a friend who would be entering freshman year at the same time.

After helping her move in, I got my first tour (my wife had done the tour previously.) The campus was beautiful, with a quad, residence halls scattered on the outskirts, and academic buildings aplenty. The residence halls were definitely structured differently than back in my day (the '80s) with nice size and a bathroom shared with a sister room instead of one big bathroom down the hall as was my experience. We left her to finalize room set up and wished her well; reminding her we are only a phone call (or text) away if needed.

After a month or so she called to say she no longer wanted to go into nursing and wanted to switch majors. I expected to have to head back up and bring her home. Instead, she worked everything out with NMU and picked a new major, and immediately was enrolled in classes that cater to her new chosen field for the very next semester.

I was quite impressed with the speed and ease NMU implemented and assisted with the change of major, as my daughter did not miss time or credits.

During her first year, she made new friends, took advantage of campus activities, and got good grades. Some kids struggled, got homesick, partied too much, or “forgot” to study. That, unfortunately, is a normal part of the college experience. But thankfully my daughter kept good habits while still having fun.

At times during those first two years, she would share the results of her work. Articles and papers she wrote, pictures she took, experiences she had. As someone who pays attention to grammar, I found myself making suggestions or proofreading her work. I enjoyed her allowing me to assist in some small way. Her grades remained great, making the Dean’s List multiple semesters. She took an on-campus job in the Admissions department (an experience she shared in one of her articles) and NMU helped her secure an internship.

My wife and I visited a few times and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings of Lake Superior. My wife visited a few times in winter and experienced a 17-inch snowstorm which caused her to unexpectedly extend her stay an extra two days until it was safe to drive back home. My daughter moved off-campus which brought its challenges. (Parents, I suggest assisting your child in reading the lease terms and perhaps getting a video tour of the potential housing.)

Still, things were going well. But then the pandemic hit. While I was not thrilled that classes were moved virtually the students and my daughter muddled through. She continued to make the Dean’s List and made the best of a very challenging time.

My daughter caught the attention of several professors who took a strong interest in seeing her succeed. One professor, Dr. Shevy, became one of her greatest cheerleaders and really guided her growth and development within her field. I watched my daughter’s confidence grow and her quality of work improve. I recently read two articles she wrote and instead of finding myself correcting errors, I realized there are none and am genuinely entertained by them. These are informative pieces that are publication-worthy.

And now that she is ready to graduate (within 4 years) I am proud of the woman she has become. She has confidence, is engaging and people like to be around her. While as of this writing we are not sure what the future holds, we know it is a bright future where she will find a career that challenges her and that she enjoys. NMU took her under its wing and she accepted it. She gave back to the campus as much as she received. And another year on the Dean’s List to boot.