‘My online education journey gave me the support I needed to succeed’
Tara Melton (BS psychology, Purdue Global ’24) says Purdue Global helped her rise above challenges. (Photo by Katie Novak)
This Purdue Global graduate’s perseverance and grit helped her overcome mental health challenges and earn a psychology degree
Recent Purdue Global graduate Tara Melton knows life dealt her a lousy hand. But when she tells her story, she’s not feeling sorry for herself. She’s smiling. Her voice is strong. Because she holds completely different cards now.
“People always say we have to utilize the cards we’re dealt. And, well, I didn’t accept that,” she says. “Circumstances you’re born into don’t have to dictate the life you create for yourself.”
Melton persevered through a traumatic childhood and the harrowing young adulthood it led to. But all along, the most important thing to her was that she’d be able to help someone else rewrite their script. Her experiences have driven her to make a difference, especially for individuals who, like her younger self, often are unheard or misunderstood.
“As a kid, I was always dismissed by my teachers as an angry child,” she says. “But if somebody would have just asked what was really going on underneath the surface, things might have been different for me. That’s why the work I do now means so much to me — because I see my younger self in many of the children I support.”
Looking back now, she realizes that her passion for behavior intervention was rooted in her own lived experience. There is something healing about finding the meaning that’s often overlooked within human behavior, knowing there’s more to it than meets the eye.
“I have always been drawn to understanding not just what someone does, but why they do it,” she says. “Behavior is a form of communication, and I want to be the one who takes the time to listen.”
Eventually, she found that her struggle to rise above was not only worth it — it would provide tangible course credit toward a Purdue Global degree, enabling her to make even more of an impact on the welfare of others.
Turning experience into expertise
As a young adult, Melton briefly lived in South Carolina while struggling in an unhealthy relationship. It was there, amid the turmoil, that she first decided to change her story. She attended a local technical college and earned a certificate in human services.
Empowered by her success, she moved home to metro Detroit to continue her education. But she faced some unexpected hurdles.
“I didn’t get much support from any direction. My academic advisor literally sat me down and said, ‘Tara, you’re better off going somewhere else.’ He just knew that this school couldn’t accommodate adults like me,” she says.
While it was a heavy blow to her morale, Melton was boosted by her work with children facing behavioral challenges. That’s when a colleague who was attending Purdue Global saw a potential sweet spot for Melton and suggested she give it a try.
“We both work in the field, of course, so I knew it was a good program for what I wanted. It was the best decision I could’ve made. My only regret is that I didn’t go sooner!” she says.
The game changer was the sheer magnitude of credit she could earn from what she’d already done. For students who have worked in a career, served in the military or participated in learning outside the traditional college classroom, Purdue Global offers the opportunity to earn course credit. Students take a course to help them develop and submit a portfolio to demonstrate their prior learning, which is assessed for undergraduate credit.
“It was the thing that saved me the most time and money,” she says. “I’d already had seven years of experience in the field when I enrolled, so I petitioned for every class I could. Out of the 13 classes I petitioned, I got 12.”
It saved her years of coursework and thousands of dollars.
She acknowledges that most people don’t petition for as many courses as she did — the average is three — but it still pays off.
“The portfolio course for students like me who have experience, even if you only petition for three courses, it’s worth it. If you don’t get credit for the courses you petition, you get your money back,” she says.
Streamlining her education allowed Melton to focus on reaching her goals as fast as possible, for what would end up making the most impact on her career.
A journey that’s worth it
Since behavioral intervention is Melton’s true passion, she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology with a concentration in applied behavior analysis (ABA). ABA is a standard treatment in autism therapies, but Melton says its applications are broader — which expands her options.
And wider possibilities for her means wider possibilities for people who can benefit from her services.
“I’m now a clinical supervisor at an ABA center, where we primarily provide ABA therapy for children with autism,” Melton explains. “But ABA can be applied to so many other areas as well. It’s effective for individuals with ADHD, developmental disabilities and traumatic brain injuries, and even areas like weight management and addiction recovery.”
As she looks forward to a career full of opportunities, Melton wants to encourage others who might consider changing their lives with an education.
“Lean into the belief that you are capable of more than the world has led you to believe. If I can rise above the challenges that tried to define me, so can you,” she says. “You don’t have to do it perfectly, and you don’t have to do it alone. Believe in your own worth, embrace the messiness of life and keep pushing forward even when it feels impossible. Today, I stand here as a first-generation college graduate — proof that you can rewrite your story.”
Today, I stand here as a first-generation college graduate — proof that you can rewrite your story.
Tara Melton
BS psychology, Purdue Global ’24
