By: Makayla Dilliner
The pressure of academic excellence may be a common notion for many high schoolers far and wide. But for some, it may seem as though obtaining good grades and passing with a 3.75 does not come naturally. Some may nearly skim the edge of failing classes, going through with low Dʻs or Fʻs. But former Department of Defense Police Officer, military veteran, and Kalāheo 1983 graduate, GerardBeckley, defied odds and turned his academic life around through a change in mindset and confidence in the classroom. In his own words, Beckley who once barely graduated from high school, went back to college years later and graduated Magna Cum Laude, earning his bachelor in Psychology at Chaminade University– all in the span of only two years. Beckley shared advice to students about the reality of balancing work, the realities of life and school.
“I was scared. I was petrified of going back. I believed I was not academically capable of accomplishing anything having to do with college or a degree. In high school, I never got A's. I was lucky to get a D. I played around too much. But even in high school, I never considered myself smart, so I never thought I could get any worthy grades,” he explained.
It was during a transition of jobs that Bekcley came across the possibility of attending college. With the help of a counselor, he was given the encouragement to pursue a degree in psychology. The military veteran who served from 1987 through multiple deployments, began his college journey in 2007 at Chaminade University– 24 years after his graduation from Kalāheo in 1983.
“I was going to military school to become a Sergeant, and got hurt. I was put in this unit called the Warrior Transition. My job was just to get healed, and at the time I could go to school. There was a counselor there, named Rodney Sueoka, (son of former football Coach and Teacher Mr. Sueoka). One day he asked me, ʻHave you ever thought about being a counselor?ʻ. I said people come to me asking for advice but I never thought of anything about it. It was him who convinced me to go back to school for psychology. So he was my mentor, and not only was he a mentor, he was a counselor, but he was also in the upper level of psychology, he was an instructor as well. So I was able to be one of his students in some of his classes.
Beckley was tasked by his counselor to write an essay for the first time since high school. With six tries to create an adequate piece, he proved that it is okay to not get it right the first time. “Sueoka helped me write better essays. He told me to write a paper, so I did. All I remember seeing were red markings all over my paper. He asked me, I want you to read this out loud. When I did, it sounded like a kindergartner speaking Pidgin. It took me six rough drafts before I actually gave my first paper.”
Balancing nightly college classes and an ongoing divorce on top of working a full time job, Beckeley shared the dedication it took to completing assignments on time. “I did maybe two classes in one night. One started from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and the other from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. For months on end, not going to movies, not going to dinners, nothing. All I wanted to do was just graduate. That's all I wanted.”
He recounted the start of his college journey in the office of a college counselor. “I remember the first day I went in, a guy came in with his cap and gown on for his graduation. I was so captivated by it and in that moment, the counselor told me, ʻOh, don't worry, Gerard.
You'll be there.ʻ “
Through hard work and dedication, Beckley received his first A ever. Not even realizing it, after two semesters, he achieved the Deanʻs List. “When I got my first A, I became so motivated by my grades that I always tried my best on each assignment. But after reading an email for an Honors Ceremony, I thought it was a joke. Still, finally I realized that I could actually do this.”
While the 1983 alumnus is fond of his high school years, he looked back with regret for not taking his grades seriously. “I had an English teacher named Mrs. Martha Robertson. In her class, I was just plain lazy and chose to plagiarize off of my friendʻs essay word for word. After meeting with my parents, thankfully, she did give me a chance to re-do the paper. I even had a math teacher named Ms. Stice. I didnʻt know how much of a mathematician she was, all I would think about would be leaving the class. I wish I took the time to ask my teachers, Make me understand this. Show me a way to understand. How do you simplify it? How do I read in a better way of comprehending?,” he explained.
On the topic of obtaining a 3.75 and even graduating Magna Cum Laude through an accelerated program, he gave a simple answer, discipline. “When you want it badly enough, you're going to do it. If you have to realize what you really want to accomplish. After work, Iʻd want to go play, but you cannot. You have to do your schoolwork. You just have to be disciplined and overall, make sure to manage your time.”
“On the day of graduation, it didnʻt even feel real. It felt like I was on top of the world because I had no idea I could make it as far as I did. But had Rodney Sueoka seen something in me, believed in me, and pushed me to do it, I never would have taken that leap of faith, and learned to love something that I used to hate.
“But despite everything that happened to me from high school to my college years, I can never forget my mom who was always there to give her undivided attention and support.”