In the fall of 2024, Zion Belmont returned to UA Wayne to resume his bachelor’s studies at age 25. He started his college journey here two years after high school, and things were going well, but he had to stop because “life happened” and attending college became impossible for a time. “I spent the next several years working general labor so that I could cover the bills while my wife finished her bachelor’s at Wayne,” he said. But once she graduated with a degree in education and started her career in a local Wayne County school district, she told him that she wanted him to go back to school and find what he really wanted to do in life. “So now I’m back and better than ever before,” he said.
Having the UA Wayne campus within a reasonable distance from home made it so that Zion could easily get to class and pursue his bachelor’s degree. “If I had to travel far to attend college and pay those higher tuition rates, board, and everything else that comes with it, I wouldn’t have been able to go to school. Accessibility and affordability are still the two biggest factors in my return all these years later. I live less than ten minutes away from campus, so for me, UA Wayne really is such a blessing.”
A 2nd year, full-time student majoring in nursing, he’s not in the nursing program yet but is still taking pre-admission courses. “I originally aspired to be a biologist but decided to take that interest and fuse it with my desire to help people. That’s how I ended up picking nursing as my major. I’ve heard only good things about the nursing program at Wayne. All the nursing students I’ve talked to have expressed nothing but love and gratitude for Mary Burton’s (UA Wayne’s nursing program coordinator) work at Wayne. It’s also awesome that you can earn the entirety of the degree here at Wayne.”
Zion says his wife is his biggest supporter, and without her he wouldn’t be back at college right now. He receives a lot of support on campus as well. “The staff at UA Wayne have been absolutely fantastic. I’ve formed bonds with a lot of the faculty and have gotten a lot of encouragement from them. Angela Hartsock is a wonderful instructor and has always been willing to take the time to talk with me and answer all of my biology questions, and for that I am grateful. Maureen (Wayne College Library Director) has always been cheerful, friendly and helpful, along with everyone in Student Services. The guys in the maintenance department have hearts of gold and are always on top of anything that needs to get done around campus. All of these people, and more, have been super kind, helpful and supportive in my journey back to college.”
On any given day, at any time of the day, chances are you’ll see Zion on campus. Besides being on site for his classes, he works in the Facilities department as a student employee. He’s also very involved in the Wayne College library’s “Loud in the Library” programs and serves as host for the Dungeons & Dragons nights and volunteer recruiter/promoter for the other evening programs like Trivia Night and Game Night. He spends a lot of time studying in the library, sometimes staying until late in the evening. Zion acknowledges that going to college as an adult learner is a little bit of extra work, “but so is everything else in life.” His advice to other adults considering college is, “If you want it, then do it. You can handle it, as long as you’re willing to fight for it.”
When Zion makes it to the end of his college journey and receives his bachelor’s degree, he wants to work in a psych unit at a hospital or go into forensic nursing. “I don’t necessarily care about how big or important I am in my field, just as long as I get to directly help people. I want to be a beacon to those going through dark times.”