Vonda Knox is one of those people who came to Metro State as a student and decided she liked it so much that she found a way to stay.

In 1991, Knox's daughter, the fourth of five children, had started kindergarten. "I decided it was time for me to go to school, too," she recalls. So she enrolled, taking classes toward a double major in English and history.

Like many Metro students, Knox had to balance college with a full life outside of school. She went through her fifth pregnancy while attending classes full-time in the fall of 1992 and spring of 1993. "I was nervous that I might go into labor during classes," she says. But all went well and now her youngest child attends school in Jefferson County.

Knox started as a work-study employee in the English Department in 1998, and two years later joined the Chicano Studies Department as a classified employee. She transferred to the English Department in August 2001 and in February 2002, Knox became the administrative assistant for the Veterans Upward Bound Program.

"It's a very respectful environment," she says, "and many of the clients are just remarkable. They have faced so many challenges and they continue to strive." The program is a federally funded GED/college prep program that provides refresher training and academic advising to veterans pursuing either a GED or a college education.

All the while, Knox has continued her own education. To date, she has completed 154 credit hours with a grade-point average of 3.75, and is three credit hours shy of completing her double major.

As of July 1, Knox has taken on the additional role of president of the Classified Staff Council. Communication is her priority. "The whole college is facing enormous pressures, with a new president, budget constraints and layoffs. I think it's important to keep information flowing, otherwise, people feel disconnected."

What little spare time Knox has outside of the college, she spends in her garden - so much so that many of her colleagues jokingly call her "tree hugger." But, it's what helps her stay focused and to maintain such a busy lifestyle. "It's my time for myself. It's my therapy."