Calhoun student didn't let disability, time or doubts keep her from earning degree

May 12--When Stephanie Miner receives her degree tonight, her disability won't be the only obstacle she will have overcome to become a Calhoun Community College graduate.

With faithful service dog Astro beside her, the wheelchair-bound Miner will accept her associate degree in general education 24 years after starting at Calhoun.

She will be one of 1,800 to graduate today, including about 450 who will participate in the 6 p.m. commencement at Carlton Kelley Gymnasium.

"I once had a counselor who told me they were going to put my photo in Founders Hall," said Miner, who has cerebral palsy.

Miner's degree is a symbol of her success in overcoming the doubts of her high school and college educators, friends, parents and even herself.

"Getting my diploma means the world to me," Miner said. "I never thought I would see this day. I knew I was close, but it's been a struggle."

Miner, now 41, said a counselor at Hartselle High School wanted her "to take the easy way out" and get a graduation certificate, but she insisted on earning her high school diploma. She was a member of Hartselle's Class of 1992.

She enrolled at Calhoun the following year, but she usually took only one or two classes a semester. Her parents, Bob and Hilda Miner, take her to school every day.

Student Advocate Carla Sweeney said Stephanie Miner is well-known throughout the campus. Usually her dad is next to her or not too far away.

Astro, her third service dog, is always at her side. He pushes the buttons to open handicap doors and picks up items that she drops.

"Stephanie is as sweet as she can be," Sweeney said. "And everybody loves Astro. (Stephanie) has such a good attitude about her disability, and you can tell that her dad loves her."

Sweeney said Stephanie Miner showed her dry wit recently when talking to the students at a student success symposium.

"She was matter of fact and very funny," Sweeney said.

Greg Brooks met Miner as a student in 1994, and they remain close friends. His three children now call her "Aunt Stephanie."

"Taking two classes for Stephanie is like a normal student taking seven (in a semester)," Brooks said. "School is very difficult for her, but she's so determined."

Brooks and Miner talked often even after he went off to the University of Alabama and later became an industrial representative. He heard about her difficulties with math and English and her frustrations with the college.

"It took her so long that the requirements would change and she would find out that a class no longer counted or she would have to take two or three classes that weren't required before," Brooks said.

She twice just missed graduating because the requirements changed, Brooks said.

Sweeney said college catalogues are updated annually, so students have the option of graduating under the catalogue in which they started or the latest version.

However, Sweeney said a student has to graduate under the latest requirements after he or she has been in school five years.

Calhoun spokeswoman Janet Martin said requirements change at the direction of the Alabama Community College System or the college will make changes to meet standards it sees as necessary for the field or for transfer to a four-year university.

Miner said the college allowed her to proceed at her own pace and complete a class after a semester ended without charging additional tuition.

Martin said federal and state laws require colleges to accommodate people with documented disabilities.

And Miner needed the help, especially in math and English. It took her five tries to pass English and seven tries to pass college algebra.

"Math is my Achilles' heel," Miner said. "The numbers just don't click for me."

The frustration finally got to Miner about five years ago, leading her to drop out for about 18 months.

"Taking time off was just a head thing for her," Bob Miner said. "We tried to help her as much as we could, but she just couldn't get through the class."

Her parents left her alone and let her come to the decision to finish her degree, he said.

She worked as a Wal-Mart greeter for a while, but Brooks said he always knew she would go back to college.

"She enjoyed being a greeter and it was great to get the workforce experience, but she always talked about finishing college," Brooks said.

With Vocational Rehabilitation Services paying her tuition, she returned and finished in three years.

Stephanie Miner credited math tutors Denzel Sears and Cassandra Libarios with helping her push through to the degree.

Sears said she particularly struggled with factoring "because there are a lot of things to remember." He made her repeat what she learned every day until he felt like she knew the material.

"She wasn't bad at math," Sears said. "She just didn't have any confidence in her own abilities."

Sears said Miner's persistence and enthusiasm inspired other students who were struggling with the same math problems.

Like most new graduates, Miner is making plans for the future. She wants to move out on her own. Her dad joked that he is ready for her to leave, too.

She is looking at moving to independent living facilities in Montgomery or Michigan, where she's a native. She hopes to become an advocate for people with disabilities.

But getting that degree tonight takes priority, and it's a moment that her family and friends are also looking forward to seeing.

"I'll be very proud," Bob Miner said. "I told her on her first day of college that this is something they'll never be able to take away from her."

Brooks said he wouldn't miss his friend's graduation.

"I told her I may have to break in if they have to move graduation into the gym (because of rain) since each graduate only gets four tickets," Brooks said. "But, come hell or high water, I'm not missing her get her diploma."

bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432. Twitter @DD_BayneHughes.

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