by Sarah Browning, Staff Writer
Ace Wilson is a non-traditional English Education major who will be graduating in May with the Vindicated Class. Her life has not gone the way that she planned, but she has learned to adapt and to grow despite her circumstances.
Wilson graduated high school in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2008. After high school, she went on to complete a year of community college. However, Wilson and her family found themselves homeless at the end of that year, and she was forced to take time off school.
“I was needed with my family,” Wilson said. “I learned a lot, like relying on God and leaning on family. I realized we don’t need all these materialistic things. I was pretty clingy to that in high school, thinking that it defined me.”
Luckily, she and her family were not homeless for long, but recovery from the experience took time. They moved to Owensboro, Kentucky, where Wilson’s godparents lived. Even though she loved Atlanta, Wilson said, “We had to get away from some things that were holding us back there. Owensboro was a fresh start.”
In Owensboro, Wilson worked as an assistant manager at Claire’s for four years. “Through that time, I was able to get closer to God, because I was doing small group and youth group things, and every summer I did Vacation Bible School, but I felt like my life was stagnant…. I learned things in that time of my life that I don’t think I could have learned any other time,” she said.
Wilson said that she always wanted to go back to school. Before arriving on campus for her first day of classes, Wilson had never even visited Asbury. She was scared because Asbury had not been her first choice, but she said, “Once I got on campus, I instantly felt peace.”
However, Wilson still struggles to reconcile the time she lost being away from school. Being older than other students as she reembarked on her education journey made her uncomfortable. “A lot of the time I didn’t like to share I was a non-traditional student because I didn’t want people to judge me,” she said. “I felt like [traditional-aged students would judge me] because in my mind everybody should be on this time schedule. [You’re expected to be] accomplished and married by [my] age. I always feel like I’m a failure because I haven’t met these certain milestones at these certain times. That’s just something that God has been working with me on, especially since me dropping out of college initially.”
Everybody is always shocked when Wilson tells them her age. “For me, it’s a negative thing, like they say ‘Wow, you’re that old? I thought you were one of us,’ and then I think ‘Am I that immature?’ or ‘Am I just not cool enough to be one of you?’ Most of the time, I’d just rather not mention how old I am. But when I actually tell people my age, I find that they’re okay with it. It’s not as constrictive as you would think it is. God has his timing in all things.”
Still, Wilson said she constantly feels like she is behind schedule. “I should’ve been teaching for at least four or five years by now if I was on the correct time schedule,” she said. “This is like the biggest thorn in my side. Everybody has that thing that’s always in the back of their mind. That’s their crutch. And, for me, mine is time.”
Wilson copes with this daily struggle by falling back on God. “I just have to pray about it,” she said. “Time is such a superficial thing. It’s just one of those things you shouldn’t try to control. It’s something I have to give to the Lord. It’s literally an everyday struggle.”
She takes refuge in Psalm 20:3-5, which reads, “May he remember all your sacrifices / and accept your burnt offerings. / May he give you the desire of your heart / and make all your plans succeed. / May we shout for joy over your victory / and lift up our banners in the name of our God. / May the Lord grant all your requests.”
“I have to remember that the Lord is on my side,” Wilson said. “I just have to remember that all the things that I feel like I sacrificed in my life God is going to use for his glory. He’s already been fruitful and faithful to me, and I just have to remember those things when I feel like I’m not successful and I feel like I’m a failure.”
Wilson wants to use her gifts and her passion for teaching to guide teens into living their own stories. “I just love all different kinds of students,” she said. “I learned, just from my background, that everybody has their own story. Every single person has a story. It’s just so important to listen to others and to get to know that.”
Wilson’s long journey has given her empathy, grace and experience that she has been able to apply to her teaching. “I feel like a lot of times teens aren’t seen,” she said. “They’re just seen as annoying little creatures, and they are sometimes, but at the same time, they’re beautiful people. They have so much to share. They have so much passion. I want to feed into them and help them use their passions in the right way.”
Photo by Brody McKinnon