Making lemonade

Sitting in a hot van while traveling with his college’s recruiting band, a phone call was received that would change everything. Tim Dobbins was in the height of his college life when his girlfriend contacted to let him know she was expecting a baby. Very little words were exchanged in that moment; the total quiet was a clear evidence of sheer dread. With three years of nontransferable college credit and a low gpa, Tim Dobbins would surprise his future family and friends by taking on a paternal role, starting community college, and learning to pursue a good education no matter the expense.

At the age of 21, Tim Dobbins had no notion how to take care of another person. He had only recently started washing his own laundry. Up until recently, having an education was a benefit of living the college lifestyle. Life took on a completely new meaning when he found out he would have a child. Changes have to be made for Tim to acquire his education and sustain a family. At a time when most individuals would panic under so much pressure, Tim found a desire and motivation to push himself.

He stepped into Tennessee Temple University, the school he had been attending in

Chattanooga for three years, and applied for his transcript to transfer to Volunteer State

Community College in Gallatin, TN. After several meetings with admissions it became evident that the bible and music classes he had taken could not be transferred. However, the gpa of 2.3 was guaranteed to carry him through his collegiate career like a scarlet letter. Not only would he be coming back home to be with his pregnant girlfriend, but he would have to start college afresh as a freshman. When he returned back in Nashville, he resided in a one bedroom studio apartment with a new baby and girlfriend. The walls and tables in the little flat were lined with stacks of books. Tim recalls hiding himself in a bathroom and sitting on a crate in order to complete an essay and traveling several blocks daily to the nearest Mcdonald’s to acquire free wi-fi. Late nights and long hours were the norm for several years. Hanging out with buddies was a distant past time. Tim learned to enjoy writing and reading. He took classes at Volunteer State in History and Literature.

Professors would take time to talk with Tim and become important influences on his life. When I asked

Tim what got him so intent on school he said, “Having been a lousy student since I can remember, something snapped in me and I just wanted to study everything I possibly could, presumably to make up for the lifetime worth of knowledge I neglected.”

Tim’s son had little clue of how hard his dad worked on school, partly because education did not take away from Tim’s time with his son. He loves on his son like he is everything. If his son initiates it, there is not a body of water that

Tim will not leap in, a lego set he won’t spend hours on, a

Tim and his son messing around the

house. tickling battle that he won’t participate in. He’s a kid at heart. It’s apparent that he is an excellent dad. At times, his son refers to him as “bro” and that’s the kind of bond they have. Tim Dobbins got a scholarship to attend Belmont University the summer of 2013. While at Belmont he built ties with academics and students. Majoring in economics, Tim was doing exceptionally well in his subjects. Tim had to work exceedingly hard to stay up with the other students; many of them lived on campus and did not have jobs. On the day Tim graduated from Belmont University, his son was graduating from preschool. He ended up taking a couple internships until he found his passion in data analytics. Tim continues, “I realized I had to do something besides play guitar or baseball. And I wanted it to be something I was truly satisfied with. What’s the point in having a life that doesn’t make you excited? ”

Tim has been on a continuous uphill struggle since the day he found out he would be having a child in his life. Running on an uphill made him work harder than he ever had before. He has managed to combine work, education, and family and yet seamlessly made it into an adventure. He took a decision to alter his life and his family’s future by applying himself to work

harder in every way. At twenty-one, Tim Dobbins saw the lemons Tim, his wife, and son on their graduation day from pre-k and he was handed and resolved to transform them into the finest lemonade; college.

with hard effort and dedication, he succeeded to do just that.