Melinda Harbin was 14-years-old when she first visited the UTC campus. She vividly remembers walking around campus, marveling at the size of all the buildings.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember standing in the middle of campus and telling myself, \u2018I\u2019m going to be a part of all this one day. I\u2019m going to graduate from here,\u2019\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Nearly 30 years later, Harbin\u2019s dream came true. She graduated with a bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology this past spring. Before achieving that goal, she went through a harrowing journey that included not only childhood abuse, but also homelessness.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2017\/06\/20170517-Melinda-Harbin016-1024x680.jpg\")
Melinda Harbin<\/p><\/div>\n
A Dark Past<\/h2>\n
Harbin grew up 30 miles from UTC in a small town in northeast Alabama.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a place where women are to be seen, not heard. I had too much fire in me to do that. I knew from a young age that my gender shouldn\u2019t determine my worth or ability,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n
For most of her childhood, Harbin\u2019s family harbored a dark secret. She tried to tell others about the horrors inside her home, but \u201cno one believed me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father was well liked around town. He was a police officer. He ran for mayor one year,\u201d Harbin says.<\/p>\n
When she was 12, her father was convicted of first-degree rape and sentenced to 25 years in prison.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the things I was supposed to trust in the world, I couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pursuing an Education<\/h2>\n
In her twenties, Hardin worked in nursing homes as an aide and dreamed about becoming a certified health assistant. She began taking classes to get her GED.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was tough. When I moved to Scottsboro, Ala., to start my GED classes, I didn\u2019t have a residence. I had to live out of my car for a little while,\u201d Harbin says.<\/p>\n
She credits her GED teacher with pushing her to continue her education.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne day she handed me a college application. I had never seen one before, and I asked her what it was for. She told me, \u2018You can\u2019t follow your dreams without this,\u2019\u201d Harbin remembers.<\/p>\n
Building a New Life<\/h2>\n
After taking classes at community colleges in Alabama and Tennessee for several years, she transferred to UTC.<\/p>\n
\u201cThough I was a non-traditional student, I struggled with the typical things that every college student does. There were times where I had to force myself to stay up late and finish a paper,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo get anything you want in life, you have to be willing to fight for it. The outcome is in your hands. You\u2019ll never read about someone who just laid down and quit in a history book. So the question you have to ask yourself every day is, \u2018How bad do I want it?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
In May, Melinda walked across the stage during the graduation ceremonies in McKenzie Arena.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t tell you the amount of pride I felt when I heard my name at graduation because I knew I worked so, so hard to be there,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/files\/2017\/06\/melinda-harbin-17-551-1024x706.jpg\")
Melinda Harbin with her grandson Chase<\/p><\/div>\n
She credits UTC\u2019s staff for helping her through her 12-year journey to getting a college degree.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time I wanted to quit, Bryon Kluesner at the Disability Resource Center convinced me not to. Every time I was dealing with transferring credits or securing financial aid and thought the door was going to close for the last time, Yancy Freeman in Enrollment Services stuck his foot out. He supported me and fought for me every step of the way. I wouldn\u2019t have graduated without him,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Harbin is having the same influence on those closest to her. Her brothers are motivated to continue their education after watching her become the first in the family to graduate from a four-year university. Inspired by her daughter\u2019s\u00a0perseverance, Harbin\u2019s mother is now living on her own for the first time at age 63.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told me, \u2018I watched you do, so I knew I could do it, too\u2019\u201d Harbin said.<\/p>\n
Linda Henegar, Harbin\u2019s mother, readily calls her daughter \u201can inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI always told her, \u2018You can be anything you want to be. Don\u2019t worry, honey, do your best and you\u2019ll get there.\u2019 And she got there. I\u2019m more proud of her than she\u2019ll ever know,\u201d Henegar says.<\/p>\n
Looking Forward<\/h2>\n
Diploma in hand, Harbin is considering starting her own life-coaching business and attending graduate school. She\u2019s also looking into volunteering at local women\u2019s shelters.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to be a leader but a good leader. I think the best leaders are servants. I refuse to stop helping people. There\u2019s too much hurt not being addressed; too much hate being met with hate in the world,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t help but care about people. People say I have too much compassion. I consider it a gift, but it\u2019s only a good gift if I give it away,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n
For now, she\u2019s enjoying taking care of her grandson, Chase, for whom she has full custody.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been in several situations in my life where I should have ended up dead. I used to pray to God to let me die, but I\u2019m still here. I know I have a purpose. When Chase runs up to me, gives me a big hug and says, \u2018I love you, Nana,\u2019 it makes it all worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Melinda Harbin was 14-years-old when she first visited the UTC campus and told herself she was going to be a college graduate one day. Nearly 30 years later, her dream came true. Before achieving a degree in psychology, she endured a harrowing journey.<\/p>\n
Continue Reading <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":18089,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_slider":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_featurette":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70,61,8244,286,661],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-17718","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-academics","8":"category-college-of-arts-sciences","9":"category-honors-and-awards","10":"category-psychology","11":"category-students","12":"entry"},"yoast_head":"\nAbused to Homeless to College Graduate: Melinda Harbin thrives at UTC | UTC News Archive: Jul 2007 - Oct 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Melinda Harbin was 14-years-old when she first visited the UTC campus and told herself she was going to be a college graduate one day. 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