蒂芙尼·惠特菲尔德和杰斐逊·哈德尔著
Levi Davis graduated from Old Dominion University in May of 2023 with a Bachelor of Science degree in applied mathematics. 然而，戴维斯并不是普通的四年制学生. He persevered through personal challenges and setbacks to earn his degree in 14 years.
2008年高中毕业后, 戴维斯在丹维尔的埃弗里特大学开始他的大学生涯, Virginia. “My main reason for going there was to play basketball and hopefully transfer out of there to a Division One school,” said Davis. 一个学期后，戴维斯不开心了. 她说:“我们的关系不太好，我想转学.”
He applied in the spring of 2009 and by the fall of 2009 he officially transferred to at ODU. “It was a big transition from a very small school to a school such as ODU,” said Davis. “When I came in, I was already determined that I was undecided for my major.“不确定ODU是否行得通, he went in with an open mind and at the very least was going to give the university a try.
After his first year, he debated whether to major in engineering or mathematics. Unsure of his choice, Davis went and spoke to one of the engineering advisors and was advised to take calculus first. “The advisor told me, 如果你想做数学的话, 等你学完微积分再说, 然后回来，我们再做决定.’”戴维斯完全参与了这个计划. “我以A的成绩完成了微积分。, 这就是为什么我知道我要把数学作为我的专业,” said Davis.
By his sophomore year, Davis was fully into the swing of college life as a Monarch. 他甚至在学习的同时还做兼职. Unfortunately, after his mother had surgery on her foot, things started to snowball out of control. “The surgery basically put her out, and she wasn’t really making as much money,” said Davis. He had already been working a few hours a week at a part-time job off campus, and he worked as a math tutor in the Science Tutoring Centers (STC) formerly known as the Math and Science Resource Center. “我想帮助我妈妈，但那时她已经卧床不起了, 她需要高强度的物理治疗,” said Davis. 从每周15个小时变成了每周40个小时. “Now, 我要全职工作，因为我要做一个男人，帮助我妈妈, 所以我完全分心了, 分心让我付出了代价.” Coming from a single parent household, he did all he could to support his mother.
He courageously started the next semester while he had a full-time job and caring for his mother, but medical bills began to stack up along with more devastating news. “My mom said, 你知道房子被没收了, 你知道我们现在都得搬家了。”,” said Davis. 他妈妈搬去和亲戚住了. “我最后搬去和我父亲住，”戴维斯说. “这一切都发生在我大三学期的中期, 比起我自己的幸福，我更担心我妈妈.她向他保证一切都会好起来的. 他把所有的东西都打包好，把他们的东西放进了储藏室. “这对我来说是另一个很大的干扰, 不得不离开我的家和我的母亲对我来说绝对是一个巨大的损失,” said Davis. 那个学期他的功课不及格. 戴维斯说:“我无法从那场比赛中恢复过来. “因为我所有的课都考砸了, I got a letter from ODU, 因为我没有通过任何一门课, that I had to repay a portion of the financial aid that was given to me which totaled $1,800.“他无力偿还部分助学金, and that meant he wasn’t able to register for classes or attend ODU for what would have been his senior year. “这是我离开ODU八年的开始，”戴维斯说.
戴维斯于2014年离开ODU，当时他在家得宝工作. 他还有其他的经济责任要处理, 他付不起那1美元,800元回大学. “One year turned to two years, and two years turned into five years,” said Davis.
After he left Home Depot, he became a postal worker and delivered the mail for four years. 戴维斯说:“我作为邮递员的一条路线是ODU. “I had to deliver to 40th street, 41st, 45th street, and I would also deliver to the quad, Dominion House and student housing.“当他在校园里送邮件的时候, 他总是顺路过来跟安德里亚·斯蒂芬打声招呼, STC的经理和他以前的主管. “我一直和她保持联系, 我告诉她我会回来完成我开始的事,” said Davis.
He was able to make good on one obligation while he was a postal worker. 戴维斯说:“我把欠ODU的债还了.
After the postal service, in 2020, he joined the Merchant Marine for two years. “我最先去的地方之一是加州的圣地亚哥, 我去那里接受培训, 我爱上了这座城市,” said Davis. Guam as the first place he went and afterwards he went to Japan and worked in several cities there followed by time in Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, South Korea, Hawaii again, Guam and Washington state.
“在我第三次部署时, it was special because we were stationed in Norfolk for most of my deployment from March to June in 2022,” said Davis. “I was able to come back to ODU and get everything situated,” said Davis. 此外，他还利用午休时间去STC拜访斯蒂芬. 最终，他计划在2022年秋天回到ODU. However, he had to leave his Merchant Marine deployment in July 2022. “Before I left, 我注册了八月开学的课程, and I knew I had to be back by Friday August 29 to start my classes,” said Davis. Once he was back at sea, 他去的第一个地方是西班牙, and in August he went to the United Kingdom and visited Scotland and London. “时间紧迫，现在是8月22日, and I knew I had to get off the boat by Wednesday to be on a flight heading back to Norfolk,” said Davis. 干这行，他得等到他的救星出现才肯离开. “这艘船将于周五离开，出海两周, 但我的解脱在那个星期三到来了, 周五我就能飞回美国了,” said Davis. 戴维斯说:“我从2022年秋天开始回到ODU.
最初他修了12个学分. 戴维斯说:“我告诉自己，我一定要拿到这个学位. 因为他还隶属于商船队, 他原定于2002年11月前往中东, so he resigned because he was so close to finishing his senior year at ODU.
他再次去见的第一个人是安德里亚·斯蒂芬, 她在STC给了他一个数学家教的职位. “我把她当母亲看待, 我叫她“校园妈妈”, and she gave me so much encouragement over eight years away from ODU,” said Daivs. “我对她说的谢谢还不够.”
Also, he picked up a second math tutoring job with TRIO Student Support Services. 他在学校的数学/统计俱乐部很活跃. “To Ms. Passion I was a tutor before my hiatus and thankfully she welcomed me back to TRIO with open arms, 我对他们俩感激不尽,” said Davis.
He was laser focused on finishing what he started this time around. “It felt empty, 没有完成我已经开始的事情就像一根刺, and I value my degree,” said Davis. “It’s something I worked for, and I wanted to finish even after the eight-year hiatus.他于2023年5月获得学位.
就在毕业前，戴维斯开始上网求职. “我列出了毕业后想住的地方, 圣地亚哥是我的首选,” said Davis. On April 1, at ODU’s Admitted Students Day he worked a tabling event as part of the STC. While there, it was a gentleman with his family and his daughter was planning to attend ODU in fall of 2023. “我在跟孩子的父亲说话, 他问我的专业是什么, 我告诉他我是应用数学专业的,” said Davis. The gentleman said he was looking for applied math majors to work with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the National Geodetic Survey, 而他恰好是副局长. The research is geared towards climate and atmosphere and in alignment with NOAA. They met days later on Zoom and discussed potential opportunities to get financial aid to help pay for graduate school.
“That lit the flame in me to start applying to graduate schools,” said Davis. He applied to San Diego State University (SDSU) for graduate school, 而国家海洋和大气管理局和SDSU关系密切. 他们是唯一一所申请截止日期很晚的学校. 在俄勒冈州立大学期末考试的那一周，他收到了圣地亚哥州立大学的录取通知书. After taking a gap year, Davis plans to attend SDSU in the fall of 2024.