10/21/2026
“I came to Germanna when I was 18. My first year was kind of a disaster. I was one of those students everyone has. They make up excuses, they don’t come to class. I ended up on academic probation. I almost failed out, actually. Around that time, I also started collecting chronic illnesses like they were Pokémon. I got really sick and had to take some time off. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and had to have major surgery.
“I re-enrolled and got serious after that. I decided I need to do the work. I want the degree. I want to keep going. I had a lot of supportive professors, some who are now my colleagues. I tried to do my best and ask for help when I needed it. I was in and out of the hospital a lot, so I took one or two classes at a time. It took me about eight years to get my associate degree.
“When I was younger, I wanted to be a surgeon. But I wasn’t good at science or math. I looked at other ways I could still help people. When I graduated from Germanna, I went to the University of Mary Washington. After that, I went to grad school online. Now I have a master’s in counseling and human development. I’m finishing up my licensure hours. I’m almost there. I’m a part-time therapist and an adjunct professor. I’m teaching four classes at Germanna right now.
“I never saw myself getting a master’s degree. A lot of people told me I wasn’t going to be able to make it. I wasn’t going to be able to continue with school, I wasn’t going to be able to have a career, I wasn’t going to be able to do much because I had to focus so much on my health. If you tell me I can’t do something, I’m going to prove you wrong. No one teaches you how to be young and sick. I had to prove it to myself that you can be sick and disabled and have a lot of things going on and still achieve your goals. It may not look the way you planned in your head, it may not be a neat path, but you can still reach them.
“Society expects us to graduate high school, go to college, get married, have a family and a career, but for some people it doesn’t work that way. And that’s OK. We need to make room for non-traditional paths. Some people are sick. Some people graduate high school and go into the military or have a family or just work and then come back to college later. Not everyone is going to follow the same path.
“Now, I get to not only help students who might not be taking the traditional path, but I also bring some of my expertise and experiences and work with them to get them what they need. I help them break down some of the barriers of what they should expect from themselves, especially if they are struggling with neurodivergence or chronic illness. I’ve had quite a few students where I think, you’re like me when I was 18. I’ve been there. I know how overwhelming this can be. Let’s figure out how to make this work for you.”
— Brandy Fallon, Adjunct Professor
