May 26, 2022
Story and photos by Brandon Steinert
Phyne Pettis wants to become a therapist and improve mental health in the United States one meaningful connection at a time. Thursday afternoon she celebrated a major milestone in that journey by receiving an associate in science degree from Barton Community College at the Fort Leavenworth Education Consortium commencement ceremony.
She said she chose therapy for many reasons, among them being her own experience with its impact on her life.
“I actually have a mental health issue myself,” she said. “I have bipolar type two and I suffer from depression and anxiety really bad. So, I just feel like I can help people because of what I’ve dealt with and what I’ve gone through. I know what it feels like. I know what the night times feel like, the day times. I know what an anxiety episode feels like. So, I want to be that person where they can really get their help, not just stick them with another medicine but help them learn what else they can do to control their anger or the voices in their head.”
With her associate degree in hand, she’s ready for the next step, which she said is a bachelor’s degree and likely a master’s degree. But for Thursday afternoon, she said she was doing her best to soak up the moment.
“It’s so great. It’s an amazing, amazing feeling,” she said. “I’m just so happy and blessed. I want to thank God, my mom. I want to thank my husband and my whole family. I’m super excited and ecstatic about being here. I’m just honored.”
While she reveled in the feeling, she said it wasn’t a smooth ride. She first started working toward her degree in 2015, but had to drop out after a year when her grandmother became ill. She said she kept her grades up because she intended to go back. Six years went by before her husband, who is active-duty military, discovered the full scholarships available to military members at Fort Leavenworth and their immediate family members through Barton Community College. He encouraged her to enroll.
Throughout her studies, Pettis managed her mental health challenge and grieved the loss of one of her biggest cheerleaders, her grandmother.
“She made sure I kept going,” she said. “She pushed me and said, ‘one thing you need to do – you need to graduate.’”
Pettis wanted to quit many times, but her support system kept her focused. In addition to family and her husband, Pettis said the Barton faculty were a huge part of her success.
“The quality of Barton, I’m not going to lie, it’s amazing,” she said. “I was so scared to do any classes and my teachers have pushed me and pushed me to make me believe in myself. I come from poverty, raised by a single mother, and we really didn’t have much. So, I come from nothing. They made me feel like I was something. They made me feel like I was more than what I came from, and they wanted me to succeed. Everyone was genuine and helpful.”
Barton Community College's association with Fort Leavenworth started in the early months of 2012, with the first college program classes held in October 2012. With the support of the Army Education Center and the Army leadership on post, the Barton Fort Leavenworth campus continues to grow and provide services to the Army, Soldiers and their families, and the Fort Leavenworth community.