Sometimes West Chester University students find themselves in Evelyn Anderson’s office wondering if they have what it takes to earn a degree.

When this happens, Anderson, associate director of student services at WCU’s Philadelphia location, draws on her own experiences to motivate. She reassures students that graduation is within their reach, and she helps them chart a path to success.

“When I look back, I had so many reasons to throw in the towel,” she said. “But I didn’t. I defied the odds and made it to the other side. I use my story to empower people going through the same things I did. I want them to think, ‘If Dr. Anderson can do it, I know I can do it, too.’”

And she did it more than once. Anderson, a first-generation Philadelphia native, has graduated from West Chester University four times. She holds a bachelor’s degree (’08 criminal justice), two master’s degrees (’09 criminal justice and ’17 higher education/ student affairs counseling) and earned her doctor of education degree in 2023 in policy, planning, and administration with a concentration in higher education.

Even though she always loved learning, college was not something Anderson considered as a child. She spent 10 years in foster care and at 17 was living in a residential facility called Bethany Children’s Home. With her high school graduation approaching, a social worker introduced the idea of college to her.

Bethany Children’s Home provided Anderson with the financial support to fund her education and something crucial to any student going to college out of foster care — a place to come back to between semesters.

She toured WCU and fell in love with the campus. It felt like home. She applied and was accepted, on the condition that she complete the Academic Development Program (now known as the Academic Success Program).

Those six weeks were vital to earning her first degree.

Philadelphia students are diverse and resilient. Their lived experiences are different.

Those six weeks were vital to earning her first degree.

“It provided me with the foundation I needed to recover from the gaps in education I had from foster care,” she said. “The one-on-one tutoring, the community, and the mandatory workshops were instrumental. Seeing other students from Philadelphia who looked like me helped create a supportive environment.”

As a WCU employee, Anderson pours the same love and support she once received back into students. She’s developed a reputation for being passionate, empathetic, kind, and honest.

Tammy James, one of Anderson’s mentors and WCU’s faculty associate for student engagement and retention, calls Anderson a role model for students.

“She is a wonderful person who has been put in a position to give back to West Chester as much as she has been given and earned through her experiences as an alum,” James said. “I wouldn’t hesitate to say that part of our retention at the Philly location is from her being there and students being able to go to her for support.”

Another mentor, Jacqueline Hodes, WCU’s program director of the higher education policy and student affairs graduate program, said Anderson’s gift is being able to see the whole student and identify barriers outside the classroom that prevent their success.

“She applies many of the concepts that we discussed in the higher education/student affairs counseling program and is a living example of meeting the student where they are,” Hodes said.

At WCU’s Philadelphia location, Anderson supports students from admission through graduation. Her deep understanding of the unique challenges faced by non-traditional students — those balancing work, internships, and family responsibilities — makes her an invaluable resource.

“Philadelphia students are diverse and resilient. Their lived experiences are different, and I admire their ability to juggle so many responsibilities and still graduate,” she said.

Looking ahead, Anderson hopes to start a non-profit organization for adolescents transitioning out of foster care that provides life skills training, tutoring and education, temporary shelter, basic needs, and preparation for the workforce, college, or technical training.

This fall, her son will enter WCU to study computer science — that is, after he completes the Academic Success Program.

“It’s a full-circle moment,” she said. “He’s graduating high school and starting at WCU 20 years after I graduated. Through education, I’ve been able to give him the life I never had.”