Opportunity Through Adversity

By Amy Charles

After a traumatic injury, Glen Senters ’17 (left), realized his lifelong dream of returning to the classroom could become a reality through a chance encounter.

Working his way up from basic maintenance mechanic to supervisor, a 20-year career at a local factory was derailed after a traumatic injury left Glen Senters ’17 with little function in his hand. The unfortunate incident required him to be hospitalized for two weeks in 2007 while enduring eight surgeries, along with skin grafts and a year of physical therapy.

The events of that day set his life on a path toward realizing a dream that began in high school, when basketball was the only thing keeping Senters from dropping out and going to work in the mines like so many young men did during that time.

“I wasn’t a good student and only kept my grades good enough to stay on the basketball team,” Senters admitted. “I thought about maybe becoming a teacher and coaching basketball, but didn’t think it was an option for me with my low GPA and my parents not being able to afford to send me to school.”

Instead, Senters earned his industrial maintenance certificate from Mayo Technical College after high school and entered the workforce, putting his dream of becoming a teacher on hold.

After his injury, Senters tried to continue in his position, but with the damage to his hand being so severe, he was not able to do the job anymore. He struggled mentally, as well as physically, with having the plans he laid for his life and family upended, and worries of not being able to provide for his wife, Eugenia, and their two children.

It turns out, UPIKE’s Dean of Student Success Mathys Meyer, Ph.D., is Senters’ neighbor. He recalls their first conversation about him attending college. Meyer offered him the support he needed to take the leap into higher education.

A friend from church, UPIKE Chaplain Rob Musick, encouraged him to go back to school. He was dealing with feelings of depression and inadequacy and really was not sure he could do it.

“With counseling and prayer to help get my mind right, I was ready to do something different,” explained Senters. “I was struggling with wondering what I could do in my 40s.”

He enrolled in Big Sandy Community and Technical College and graduated with his associate of arts degree, where his greatest challenge was math. He felt like he might be ready to take the next step, but was still unsure.

Musick had a conversation with him about coming to UPIKE and took him on a tour of campus, with which he fell in love, but thought he could not afford it. With the help of the Pikeville Promise, a full-coverage scholarship that places an emphasis on academics and financial need, Senters was accepted and went on to graduate with a 3.4 GPA, earning his bachelor of arts in sociology.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better experience than I had at UPIKE. The faculty were all great and very encouraging, and I really enjoyed the relationships I had with my professors,” Senters said. “I found I could relate to some of the life experiences they shared because we were closer in age than most of the other students.”

While attending UPIKE, Senters was a full-time substitute teacher. The desire to teach remained strong within him and he knew he could not continue to ignore his true calling. Senters enrolled in an online program, earning his master of arts in teaching this past December, and is now teaching at Johns Creek Elementary, where he also drives a school bus.

“I had this dream when I was a senior in high school. After I went back to college, I realized this dream might be attainable,” Senters expressed. “I’m so happy being a teacher and a bus driver. For some of these kids, I’m the first face they see, and I enjoy wishing them a good day and trying to put some smiles on their faces.”

His daughter, Karsyn, is a sophomore at UPIKE and a member of the marching band, and son, Keaton, is a freshman at Pike County Central High School. Both children, along with Eugenia who is a clinical support associate for UPIKE’s Optometry Clinic, are very proud of him for all he has accomplished and overcome.

During Musick’s and Meyer’s decade-long friendship with Senters, they have witnessed him rise above the personal challenges that came after his injury, work hard to continue to be a great dad and role model for his students, and stay faithful in his local church.

“Glen is a hardworking and radically honest man who symbolizes what UPIKE is all about. As a non-traditional student, Glen provided a helpful insight in the class and was willing to do the hard work of learning and growing,” said Musick. “Glen is a model for those in the community who may not believe that they can go back to school and rebrand themselves, yet Glen is proof that it is possible.”

“Like so many non-traditional students Glen had serious concerns about his ability to be successful, and all I could do was encourage him, provide support, and reassure him about UPIKE’s commitment to students and the community,” Meyer explained. “But in the end, it was his dedication and hard work that made him successful. I merely encouraged him. He worked through any doubts, fears and apprehension he might have had himself. I think that is testament to the transformative nature of higher education, and more specifically, UPIKE’s commitment to our community and extended family here in Central Appalachia.”