University of Dayton

Vera Crowl of Richmond, Ind., is a non-traditional University of Dayton student pursuing a master's degree in community counseling after earning a psychology degree in just two years.

It's been a difficult road. She was addicted to drugs and alcohol for 30 years, five of which she spent homeless. It wasn't until 2001 that Crowl began the road to recovery — and redemption. Three years of sobriety later, she was serving at her church in Richmond, when she said she "received a call from God" to become a substance abuse counselor.

Just two weeks later, her father received a letter from the University of Dayton informing him of a scholarship available to his family for his service as an ordained Catholic deacon. An anonymous donor established the scholarship for the children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews of permanent deacons.

"Mama thought of all her children and grandchildren, and called me, even though I had not yet told her about the calling to God's service," Crowl said. "That letter is what brought all of this about."

She enrolled in January 2006 and graduated just two years later — a feat difficult at any age. Now working on a master's degree, she says she is excited about the future and ready for the next step, but she stays humble by remembering all of the people who have helped her along the way. "I haven't allowed myself to feel proud because I'm so full of gratitude," Crowl said. "Gratitude to God for calling me to his service and for his purpose. Gratitude to the recovery programs that have supported me and (thankfulness to) UD, my family, friends and the Richmond Catholic community."

The Story - I don't know how to describe how I felt, but I was actually going to walk down an aisle as a college graduate, and I should have been dead.

My name is Vera Crowl, and my undergraduate study was in psychology for a B.A., and my graduate study is in the School of Education and Allied Professions for a master's degree in education for community counseling.

The first time I started college was in 1971. (I) went right out of high school just like a good girl, and I partied my brains out. I drank and drugged. I would try anything. Grades suffered, (but) I didn't care. I was having fun. Took classes over, still didn't do any better. I didn't care (because) I was having fun. I went on to the next stage in my life, which I tried to take seriously (but I) didn't do very well at that either. I tried to go to work for a major airline, (but I) got a bad grade on the last test (and was) plunged back into hopelessness. I went back home, worked, but drank and drugged. Always worked, but drank and drugged hard. Paid my bills, but drank and drugged. I had a physical addiction, and I didn't know it. I plummeted down to where I couldn't keep a car running, couldn't keep a room to live in, couldn't keep a job, (and I) ended up on the street — ended up truly homeless. I know what it is to eat out of a trash can. I know what it is to sleep behind a dumpster. I know what it is to fight for my life.

I met the man I'm married to today while I was still strung out, but he said to me, "I like who you are between the binges." That was the first glimmer of hope I think I had seen in over 20 years, but it still took me a number of years to get clean and sober, to actually come into recovery for real.

In 2003, Pope (John Paul II) declared the year of the Eucharist, (and) my Richmond Catholic community responded with what we called "Thursdays with Jesus." One of those Thursdays, God came in and said, "I want you to serve me as a substance abuse counselor."

I knew I was the only person in the church, so I was speechless. I knew that this was being brought to me. It wasn't like an audible voice, but I knew that statement was being brought to me, and it could only have been from God. Satan certainly wouldn't want me to help people get out. I went running like a 4-year-old to my pastor. "Could this really be happening?" Without missing a beat, he just blinked and said, "Why wouldn't it be?"

I was dumbfounded, (but) I didn't do anything, (so) God came back two weeks later: "You're not doing anything." And then a little while after that — and I never told a soul other than my pastor — a little while after that my mother called. My daddy is a permanent Catholic deacon in St. Louis, and my mother called and said, "We got this letter from some place called the University of Dayton, and they're starting a new scholarship for the children and grandchildren of Catholic deacons. It's called the Deacon Scholarship Award." I had this visual image of God peaking over a cloud saying, "I mean now, missy." So I said "Mama send me a copy of that." And then I got it, (and) I read it, (and) there was a phone number. I called it (and) talked to Kim Thornton — awesome, awesome woman she turned out to be — and I said, "You've got to give me directions because you all are never going to believe this over the phone."

Here, I stayed. I cried and scratched and fought my way through (my) undergraduate (years) because it was hard, and it was very scary. I was competing against all these young and very sharp minds. Wow, and it was scary. It was scary, but I'm still here. They didn't run me off. I love being on this campus. I love it here. It never occurred to me that no matter what, whatever I needed, somebody was going to put that pen down and say, "How can I help you?"

Every faculty member I've met — faculty that I've studied under and even faculty that I haven't — have been just awesome, positively awesome. At graduation I saw some of them sitting in the stands, and then I started recognizing them, and they were a lot of the teachers that I had. They came down to the floor, and we were just all hugging and crying and laughing and giggling and acting crazy. Some fellow came up and said, "You guys are causing a commotion, you're going to have to move." And one of my teachers who hadn't gotten a hug yet said, "Uh-uh, we don't have to move." I was okay with that love. I needed it to keep me from trying to fly around the room because I was so excited. I (think) I may have fainted if they hadn't been there.

I'm doing well in my graduate work. Working really hard to do well, but I'm doing well. The things that I learned in undergraduate (classes) are coming to life in my graduate work, and I'm so excited.

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