While college can come with its own difficulties, students are often wrestling with outside problems – whether they be from their past, or present. Dr. Tamara Massay-Trotz comes on the podcast to share her journey, and how her own story has prepared her for her career as Senior Director of Student Services at Bloomfield College. From East Orange to Miami and up to Montclair State, Dr. Massay-Trotz discusses being driven from a young age, and her process of realizing that there was a future despite her struggles. She provides an important voice, working from both a student and university employee perspective, and works to recognize the difficulties that will inevitably crop up. Life cannot be put on pause or thrown aside, and her department can help adult learners – already busy with coursework, careers, families, and health issues – keep their college story going, no matter how difficult the terrain may get.