Tonya Dion Mitchell has been working with numbers her whole life. She just hadn’t made it official yet.

Her interest in accounting started in high school, where she discovered she had a natural affinity for numbers and financial management. A hairstyling career and years of raising children took her in a different direction, but the pull toward accounting never went away. She kept the books for friends, helped with financial planning on the side, and filed the interest away for later.

COVID-19 made later feel urgent.

“I’ve always loved working with numbers,” she shares. “Even while running my business, I would help friends with their books and financial planning. It kept my passion for accounting alive, even though I wasn’t formally trained.”

A moment of reflection

The pandemic slowed Tonya’s hairstyling work. In that space, she made a decision. “Accounting has always been a part of me,” Tonya says. “When my work started getting slower during COVID, I thought, ‘Wow, this is something I need to look into.’ I realized I needed to go back to school and get my degree in accounting.”

She enrolled at Chicago State University. But being a student during the pandemic presented real challenges: the shift to online learning, limited support, and the particular difficulty of trying to build new habits in isolation. She stopped out. Several years later, she made the decision to return in fall 2024.

Finding support through ReUp

Re-enrollment came with its own obstacles: navigating the process, resolving financial aid questions, balancing her existing responsibilities at home.

“I signed up to go back, but the process felt overwhelming,” Tonya says. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, and as I waited for responses, I started to feel discouraged.”

At a low point, Tonya received an email from ReUp. She almost ignored it. “I kept ignoring it because I hadn’t really decided if I was going to go back to school,” she admits. ReUp’s outreach eventually moved her to take the next step.

When Tonya connected with her ReUp Success Coach, Skye, things began to shift. “She reached out when I was all over the place,” Tonya says.

“She really helped me get things in order and stopped being so discouraged. During those times when I wanted to give up and say, ‘I can’t do this, this is too much,’ Skye was there, being patient and supportive.” — Tonya Mitchell

Skye worked closely with Tonya through the complexities of returning, and the two tackled practical challenges together, including the demands of platforms like Moodle that were new to Tonya.

“There were some technology challenges around this platform called Moodle,” Skye recalls. “But 30 days later, when I brought up Moodle, Tonya said, ‘No, Moodle’s fine. This is what we’re focusing on now.’ She just keeps moving forward.”

Each small accomplishment rebuilt Tonya’s confidence. “It’s like little pieces fitting into the puzzle,” she explains. “I start getting things accomplished, and that’s when I know I can do this.”

The regular check-ins with Skye became opportunities for growth that extended beyond academics. “The consistency, the patience [EM DASH — editorial decision needed] those are the things that I’m learning to put into my life right now,” Tonya says.

Returning to school also gave Tonya the opportunity to focus on herself in ways she hadn’t before. “Not that I don’t focus on others — that’s just me, that’s always going to be my passion — but I had to start focusing more on me,” she reflects. “Going back to school and taking care of myself, that’s what makes a big impact.”

Advice for adult learners

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Learner pro tip “You don’t have to do it by yourself. Getting someone to help you — that’s where you get the motivation.” — Tonya Mitchell

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She also stresses the role education plays in opening doors. “Going back to school is one way for you to get into the field that you want to get into.”

Tonya’s commitment to redefining what’s possible for herself shows in every step she takes. “You can do it,” she says.