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May Graduate's Dream Shows How Education Tranforms Lives 
May 18, 2000 -- "Emotional survival was my top priority," remembers Michelle Soufl, left to fend for herself at 14. The daughter of an eccentric mother who moved on whim, Soufl lived in 45 locales and attended 25 schools growing up in a pack-and-go lifestyle that left little time for education or friends. Despite using drugs and alcohol as a teenager to obliterate the pain of being on her own, becoming a single mom at 17 and assuming responsibility for another child at 22, Soufl never gave up on her dream of pursuing a college education. At 24 she decided to complete her high school studies at a local adult school. "I cried when I saw all those schools, all those cities, all those F’s," she said, recalling the painful memories associated with collecting grade transcripts. Soufl’s forthcoming graduation May 21 at the University of Virginia and her near-perfect grade-point average reflect her courage — and the power of dreams. The youngest of three children raised by a mother who married seven times and regarded moving as a "way of keeping her spirits up," Soufl often had to put her dream of learning on hold as the family packed to head off on what her mother called "a fun adventure." Recalling how difficult the adjustment period was whenever she entered a new school, Soufl said she "used to walk around in circles at school, pretending I had a place to go because I had no friends." Despite such a topsy-turvey lifestyle, she always found time to read, savoring National Geographic magazines and literary classics, such as Thoreau’s "Walden," a gift her father had given her. She lived with her father, a consultant with an oil company, during the summers and off and on during her childhood. The worst point of her young life came at age 14 after her mother was evicted from an apartment and forced to live in her car. Soufl and her brother Jerry had to choose between fending for themselves or being placed in foster care. She decided they would move into the home of an aspiring actor in Southern California. An environment with free-flowing alcohol and drugs, the home was not conducive to studying, and the brother and sister stopped attending school for a while. The two bounced around, staying in several locations. In the middle of her senior year of high school, the then-pregnant 17-year-old withdrew from school and moved into a maternity home. After having the baby, Soufl lived in her own place, juggling working during the day and caring for the infant at night. At 19, she met Ken Soufl, 24, who had a daughter from an ex-relationship. They married, moved to Boulder, CO, with the two children, and had a baby girl together. Throughout their married life, the couple moved frequently as Ken Soufl tried his hand at a variety of jobs. Michelle kept saying that she wanted to go to school, but Ken thought it would be too hard on the family. Finally, at 24, Michelle could wait no longer. "I wanted to learn so much. I felt compelled to learn," she remembers. She completed her high school education at Torrance Adult School in California, where in recognition of her straight A’s and her determination to pursue her educational dream, Soufl was asked to deliver the graduation speech. "It was empowering to be in school — to study, to learn and to see that it wasn’t too late for me. I was no longer the stupid high school dropout I had often seen in the mirror in the past. I felt freed somehow." The family moved to Lafayette, LA, where Michelle’s father lived, and both husband and wife attended the University of Southwestern Louisiana. Despite being parents to three and living on limited finances, both Soufls became focused on earning good grades. "I knew that we would do well in school; receiving that first report card with straight A’s was proof we could do it," she recalls. Michelle, who describes herself as "a spiritual seeker since childhood who always asks the ‘deeper’ questions of life," has been engaged in a constant quest for spirituality and religious studies — a passion she shares with Ken. After their joint academic successes, "it seemed a natural extension of our spiritual journey to pursue degrees in religious studies." With loans and financial aid arrangements, they entered U.Va. in 1998. Last year Michelle Soufl was awarded a $12,000 Barringer’s Scholarship. Ken Soufl expects to graduate with nearly a 4.0 GPA; because of tackling three challenging science courses and their labs in one semester, Michelle will have a slightly lower grade-point average. What will the U.Va. diploma mean? "It will represent my dream coming true. "I truly regard it as a miracle that I have been able to go to college. Education has always been something I have craved, something I have loved, " Michelle Soufl said. "It was so exciting to learn about things I hadn’t previously been exposed to, like astronomy, women’s studies and anthropology." Ken Soufl, now 33, will continue his education after earning a bachelor’s in religious studies; he has been accepted into a master’s degree program in creative writing at the University of Colorado at Boulder. For Michelle, 28, her immediate plans after earning a B.A. in religious studies are uncertain. She will likely enroll in graduate school, but wants to take time to examine what she’s learned. "I want to reflect on the reading and writing that went into every paper. I want to assimilate the information I’ve gained and see where that takes me." The couple’s drive to excel in school has had a positive effect among family members. Their children, now aged 13, 10 and 6, are growing up with parents excited about learning. "We talk about how much we enjoy our classes. We engage them in ideas we discussed in class. To them a university is an exciting place. They view education as fun and wouldn’t think of denying themselves the fun of learning," Michelle Soufl said, noting that the children earn straight A’s and love to read. Michelle’s unbridled enthusiasm for learning has helped her mother, too. Now 51, her mother attended Piedmont Virginia Community College and has transferred to Mary Baldwin College to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She is giving Michelle a U.Va. class ring to symbolize how education has changed their lives. For more information, contact Michelle Soufl at (804) 984-0972. Contact: Ida Lee Wootten, (804) 924-6857 |
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