45th annual winners of returning adult student awards epitomize Badger spirit

This year’s Outstanding Undergraduate Returning Adult Student Award winners, Chikara Crooks and Ivanna Ceballos, share a powerful common thread: each is working to become the kind of support and inspiration they once needed themselves.

Crooks and Ceballos took nontraditional pathways to earning their degrees — overcoming financial, social and health challenges. In May, both will receive their bachelor’s degree.

“I want to help my patients and provide resources I wish I would have had,” said Crooks, 32, who will earn a degree in health promotion and health equity and plans to pursue a master’s in social work.

With a triple major in political science, legal studies and history, along with a certificate in public policy, Ceballos, 27, added, “I want to be that person that I needed as a kid — creating space for people so that they can continue to create even more space.”

Crooks, Ceballos and many other UW–Madison returning adult students will be honored April 24 at the annual Celebration of Outstanding Adult Students. The evening honors adult student scholarship recipients, former Badger Ready program students who have transferred into or graduated from UW–Madison, and finalists and recipients of the Outstanding Undergraduate Returning Student Award.

Created in 1980 by UW administrators Mary Rouse and Peg Geisler, the award recognizes the commitment made by adults returning to complete undergraduate degrees while juggling work and family responsibilities.

“Returning adult students embody the spirit of resilience, purpose and lifelong learning that defines UW–Madison,” said Martin Rouse, associate dean and director in the Division of Continuing Studies. “Their journeys enrich our classrooms, inspire our community and remind us that it’s never too late to pursue your goals. We are proud to celebrate their achievements and honored to support them along the way.”

‘I sought out a village’

“My educational journey was bumpy and nonlinear,” said Ceballos. “It was a struggle.”

But feeling unprepared, facing mental health challenges and lacking support, she left NIU in her first semester. Her mother urged her to continue her education closer to home, and Ceballos enrolled at Joliet Junior College. After one semester, she realized she wasn’t ready and left school again to enter the workforce.

“Then in 2018, I just started feeling unfulfilled,” she said. “Life wasn’t very stimulating, and I was in an endless cycle of trying to pay bills and feel better.”

After leaving an abusive relationship and experiencing homelessness, she got mental health support and used her COVID stimulus check for the paralegal studies program at Madison Area Technical College. She adds, “Madison College was amazing. I helped make it so because I sought out a village and got support.”

Ceballos connected with Madison College TRIO, federally funded outreach and student services programs. She earned a 4.0 while working full time and had an advisor who believed in her — and encouraged her to transfer to UW–Madison. 

Awarded Bucky’s Tuition Promise, she went all in — declaring a triple major, studying in D.C., volunteering her time, working and connecting with support units including the McBurney Disability Resource Center.

“As I advanced in my educational journey, I learned along the way that reaching out and having an open line of communication is important — with professors and support staff,” she said. “Many people in advising and academia, they want you to succeed. That was one of the things I was missing the first time around.”

‘I wanted more out of my life’

Chikara Crooks grew up in a single-parent home as the oldest of three children. She helped care for her siblings and, after becoming a parent herself right out of high school, was determined to provide her son with a better life.

“I wanted more out of my life — namely a fulfilling career and to earn more than minimum wage,” she added.

After saving money while working, Crooks became an LPN once her son was old enough for school. She worked nights and part-time, eventually building a career in internal medicine and pediatrics for more than eight years. Still, she wanted more.

“I put my big girl pants on and got through that fear and doubt, and I made it happen,” said Crooks, whose upbeat outlook is as infectious as her determination. In 2022, she transferred to UW–Madison intending to pursue nursing. But the more she learned about the health promotion and health equity degree, the more it resonated.

“I’m passionate about patient care,” said Crooks, who currently works remotely for Axiom Medical, connecting patients nationwide with care. “With the health promotion and health equity degree, I can open up doors for myself in the medical world and beyond.”

She’s already opened the first door by getting accepted to complete her master’s in social work at UW–Madison, where she’ll start in the fall. Crooks is determined to create a better future for her family and serve as a beacon of hope to others facing struggles.

“My son is my inspiration to keep going,” she said. “I want to provide all the best for him, and I want to be able to help my patients holistically, providing resources that I wish I would have had throughout my life. I also hope that young girls who look like me will see me in my professional roles and know they can achieve their goals.”

Giving back, making plans 

The Outstanding Undergraduate Returning Adult Student Award honors perseverance and determination — clearly seen in Crooks and Ceballos. It also recognizes leadership and service, which both exemplify.

Ceballos has volunteered with the Community Immigration Law Center and is committed to creating community for transfer students at UW–Madison. This spring, she helped launch an orientation specifically for transfer students and created an email newsletter to keep them connected.

“I knew how it was to feel lonely as a nontraditional student,” she said. “I feel like we are creating space and equity. I’m proud my experience could contribute to that.”

Ceballos has also worked as a mentor to other Bucky’s Promise students and was recently asked to sit on an incoming Badger panel for the College of Letters & Science.

Crooks, meanwhile, balances excelling at school and work with coaching youth sports in her Janesville community.

“I’m trying to be someone that I wish that I had to young girls and young boys,” she said. “I want them to know: You don’t have to be stuck in your situation. Just because you’re struggling now doesn’t mean you will be that way forever. You have to work hard and stay focused, but you can do it.”

Crooks will continue her education through her master’s program. Ceballos, currently a bilingual teller at a credit union, is practicing her Spanish and planning her next step. She was accepted to a master’s program at UW–Madison and hopes to pursue law school and a future in immigration law.

Their advice for other returning adult students?

“Take up space, be assertive, ask for what you need,” said Ceballos, who thanked her partner, her parents and her partner’s parents for their support. “No one is going to do it for you. You have to want it and do it yourself. It may suck at times, but it is so worth it.”

Crooks added, “First — you belong. You’re going to feel like you don’t fit in, but get out of your shell and talk. Talk to your professors, let them know your circumstances up front so they can help you later down the road. They want you to succeed.”

For information on returning adult students and learner resources, visit Adult Career and Special Student Services, a unit of UW–Madison Continuing Studies, or email [email protected].