Alumni Spotlight: Billie Slaikeu
by Alison Miller |
Human Services alumna Billie Slaikeu knows a thing or two about what it means to start over. A retired certified nursing assistant, Billie returned to school in her sixties after being inspired by her daughter鈥檚 experience with mental illness, eventually graduating with her bachelor鈥檚 degree in 2025. Her goal is to help other families navigate the complex system of supportive services for individuals who struggle with mental illness and substance misuse.
Name: Billie Slaikeu
Educational Background: Bachelor of Human Services, 暗网视频, 2025; Associate of Applied Science in Human Services, 暗网视频, 2017; Occupational Endorsement Certificate in Family Mediation; Certified Nurse Assistant
Unit: School of Justice and Human Services
Hometown: Florida Keys, Florida
Job Title: I鈥檓 currently retired; however, I was previously a certified nursing assistant at Alaska Regional Hospital for 21 years.
What did you enjoy most about your job?
Just helping people. Working with my patients, helping my patients, and overall the
work environment 鈥� they treated me like family.
What was your personal journey that led you to a degree in human services, and how
did your experience at 暗网视频College of Health help shape your goals?
It was my daughter, who is now an adult. She has struggled with mental illness since
she was a child. I felt like I could not find the right help for her. I went from
one doctor to another, one psychiatrist to another, one counselor to another, and
I just kept feeling like as a parent I was falling through the cracks. I was going
to go back to school for nursing initially. Once I started working at Alaska Regional
Hospital, a lot of the nurses were encouraging me to go to 暗网视频for nursing. At the
time it seemed like a good idea, but I really struggled with the prerequisites. I
just remember I was struggling so bad at one point I knew I needed to change my career
path. There was this one professor 鈥� his name was Ira Rosnel 鈥� and he was a human
services professor who taught Human Services 101. I thought I鈥檇 take it just to see,
and he made class interesting enough that I wanted to take more. I took a couple more
classes with him, and before I knew it I was taking more classes with other professors
in Human Services, and that鈥檚 when I decided, 鈥淭his is where I belong.鈥�
All of a sudden now I enjoyed the idea of counseling people and listening to people and trying to help people navigate through the system and I thought, 鈥淭his is exactly what I need.鈥� I knew how much I struggled as a parent, and I was hoping with my degree I could go out there and help somebody else - another family - with their struggles and be able to say, 鈥淚 really do know how you feel. I really do know what it鈥檚 like to get turned away from different agencies until you find the right one that works for you.鈥�
What other resources at 暗网视频were helpful to you while you were completing your degree?
The support on the 暗网视频campus is amazing once you get connected with the right resources.
Disability Support Services was a huge support for me. My disability was comprehension,
understanding, remembering, and I always needed a quiet place to do my testing 鈥� I
would get serious test anxiety. There are so many resources at the Disability Support
Center, and the people are amazing there. Also, Student Health and Counseling Center.
I did some counseling over there. They were amazing there too. They would help me
through issues I was struggling with in school. I got help from the Care Team too.
I reached out to almost every resource I possibly could at UAA, and everybody was
helpful.
Who influenced you most during your time at UAA?
I鈥檇 say almost all the professors I really liked, but there were a couple I liked
even more. I felt like they changed my life in a positive way.
Share your best memory as a student.
I think my favorite memory is being in the classroom setting in person. A lot of stuff
now is done on Zoom, and that鈥檚 not a bad thing, but I really liked the personal interactions
at UAA. That would be my favorite thing: engaging in activities at UAA, being in classrooms
with the professor 鈥� that鈥檚 what I enjoyed the most.
What advice do you have for current students who want to make the most out of their
experience at 暗网视频and are looking to build a successful career?
I want to share with all of you that no matter how much you struggle with classes,
keeping organized with your personal stuff, or even holding down a job, I am here
to say, please do not give up. It took me a long time to get my degree, but in the
end, it was worth it. I am in my sixties and I am here to tell you that you are never
too old to go back to college. And get a degree. You can either take some classes,
get a certificate in something, or you can get a degree. I found that going back to
college later in life made me appreciate my learning experiences even more.
Another tip is to always communicate with your professor no matter what the situation you may be going through. There were many times that I struggled with school, work, and personal life while trying to keep it all organized, that I wanted to give up. I know that it is scary to ask questions sometimes, but over the years I have learned to not be afraid, and I end up getting positive feedback and support from my professors, fellow students, friends, and family.
Yes, it took me a long time to get my degree, but I kept going, because in the end I knew that it was worth it, and it was.
Can you share a particularly rewarding accomplishment that you're proud of?
I鈥檓 particularly proud of getting my bachelor鈥檚 degree and I鈥檓 68 years old. I didn't
think that I could do it, but I had lots of support. People kept saying, 鈥淒on鈥檛 give
up, don鈥檛 give up.鈥� I鈥檓 proud of my occupational endorsement certificate, too. That
was another proud moment.
What are your future goals and aspirations?
Because I鈥檓 retired, I plan on looking for part-time work in mental behavioral health
with substance abuse. That鈥檚 because of where my daughter is, even though she is doing
better now and she鈥檚 in a treatment program. I want to go out there and see if I can
make a difference with one person. I know they say, 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 go out there and fix
the whole world,鈥� but maybe I can just change one or two people in a positive way.
I really want to give support to all the families out there who are struggling with
mental illness. I feel like mental illness is such a huge thing today, and even though
people are becoming more and more aware of it, I feel that it needs to be addressed
even more than it is now. That鈥檚 my goal.
What impact does your work have on individuals and communities?
There鈥檚 so much stigma around mental illness. And on top of that, a lot of mentally
ill people struggle with substance abuse. So a lot of mentally ill people get thrown
in jail, because they break the law, but not bad enough to go to jail for life. Especially
here in Alaska, because it鈥檚 cold here, and they鈥檙e hungry. It happens all over the
United States. I really want to work toward addressing that stigma.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I have no regrets going back to college later in life, because that was a choice that
I made for myself. So, if anyone feels that they cannot go back to college later in
life, I am here to tell you that yes, you can. I know that going back to college later
in life can be challenging, but I also believe that it is worth it if it is something
that you are considering doing. I will gladly tell anyone out there that you are never
too old to go back to college and learn something new, because I did it and I was
successful in graduating with a degree and honors. If I can do it, then you can do
it. Remind yourself of your end goal and the success that will follow. All the students
are here to learn and grow with each other. Everyone鈥檚 end goal is to be successful.
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