Sam Stetzer/Winonan

Robert Pack sometimes feels pressure at school.

“At times it can be intimidating,” he said. “I realize that there are people who are in class with me that were born after I had graduated from high school.”

Pack, 39, is a non-traditional student here at Winona State University. A professional studies major with a minor in film studies, Pack is returning to college after earning a two-year degree in visual communications.

Having grown up in Winona with a former Winona State professor for a father, Pack has always had a connection here at Winona State.

“They had a preschool program that was here that was part of the education program. And I was a part of that when I was, you know, four,” Pack said.

“So I always tell people that I started my education at Winona State, then I transferred to the elementary school system. So it is kind of full circle.”

To most he is a nontraditional student, but to this lifelong Warrior, he is just a student.

“We are all in the class for the same purpose … the common goals,” Pack said.

After earning his two-year degree, Pack worked at a television station in La Crosse, Wis. and in the local cable talk television networks. He has constantly been in and out of college since high school.

“I’m surprised, to be honest, that there aren’t as many students [my age], and maybe there are and I just don’t notice them. But I see a lot of students that are the younger, ‘traditional’ students,” Pack said.

After he gets that long-awaited diploma, Pack is considering entering the radio scene. His “past life,” as Pack put it, was in television, and since beginning his job at the radio station as a production assistant and Radio DJ at KQAL, he has really begun to “dig radio right now.”

“The trick is, with school, if you treat it as a full-time job, you’ll do well. You really need to put the time in,” Pack said. “You’ll enjoy it. I have enjoyed it more than I thought I would.”

While Pack restyles his life here at Winona State, some students from all over the world are choosing Winona as their new home. Shirley (Ge) Mou is from Nanjing, China, and she is majoring in nursing in her second year here.

“My parents and I think this is a really good chance to better my education,” Mou said. “This place is a freedom country. I can do what I want, and people here are nice. I feel comfortable here.”

For most international students, language can be a huge barrier to overcome, but Mou said she believes the rigid cliques formed on campus are also hard to overcome.

“You may see the groups of Chinese and then the Americans on campus. It can be very hard to fit in to the culture,” she said.

So, how exactly did Mou land on Winona State? In the end it all came down to the cost of tuition.

“There were other universities, but their tuition fees were too expensive, and I think here we have a good place to study,” Mou said. “The education is best for me here.”

Once she got here, Mou found her favorite part of life in Winona was the people she met every day.

“Everybody here is more likely to be open [and] outgoing,” she said. “They just are not shy!”

After graduation, Mou plans to try to find a job here, whether it is in nursing or some other field related to it. One thing is certain: her post graduation plans include her new home.

“I prefer to stay here,” she said.

Both Mou and Pack just view themselves as students. To these two, the differences between themselves and “traditional” students are just stories to tell.

“I just try to be a student,” Mou said. “I love this school!”

Contact Sam at [email protected]