“I am proud of the ability to take chances, persevere through struggles, and learn new things every day.”

- John Wallace III, UMUC Student
  
  

MyUMUC Story:

John Wallace III Takes His Education and Runs With It

By: Stephanie Edwards

An undergraduate student at UMUC, John Wallace III is no stranger to big achievements. Knowing that reaching a goal takes persistence and a “press on regardless” attitude, he has many things to be proud of in his life, including returning to school at UMUC—and running across the country.

Wallace began taking classes at UMUC in 2003 and plans to graduate with a degree in accounting in 2008. A flexible UMUC schedule has allowed him to work, save money, and spend more time at home. For example, when Wallace first moved from Maryland to Washington State, he was able to take online classes and also while completing projects on his new home, spending time with his wife, and keeping a closer eye on his puppy.

Perseverance to finish school "runs" over into other areas of his life as well. Always an avid runner—Wallace has run at least a mile a day since 1989—he decided to test his endurance by running across the country. "Many times on training runs for longer races, I would wonder what it would be like if I could just keep on running,” he recalled.

A man on a mission, Wallace kept on running indeed- 3,800 miles on foot from Westport, Washington to Tybee Island, Georgia. Afterwards, he created a Web site chronicling his journey, mostly through photos (seejohnrun.com).

What kept him going was a combination of curiosity and stubbornness, he recalled. Though he didn’t take classes during his run, he took comfort knowing he could easily start up his courses upon his return. He also learned a lot of interesting things along the way.

 “I learned that every police jurisdiction thinks that their highway or stretch or road is the most dangerous in the country,” he said. However, Wallace found his experience to be the opposite. “America is filled with helpful strangers, a wide range of road shoulders, and amazing things to see if you aren’t traveling 65 plus miles per hour past."

One of the most difficult parts of the journey was missing important holidays like his wedding anniversary, wife’s birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. But support from his family and friends helped him to press on. He added that while support is always helpful, his advice to others is to follow their dreams no matter what any one else thinks.

With his perseverance and a positive outlook on life, Wallace has a lot to be proud of. “I am proud of going back to college and so far being very successful after struggling the first time around. I am proud of the ability to take chances, persevere through struggles, and learn new things every day.”

Today he presses on to finish his education while juggling a job as a Web developer for The Seattle Running Company. He hopes that after finishing his degree at UMUC he will be able to go further in his career.

“Everyone should test their limits and go beyond their comfort zone in some aspect of their life," said Wallace. "Go an extra mile, read a longer book, renovate a room, coach a team, mentor someone, or any of the millions of things you can do to do more than what you are doing today.“

 

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