The powerful windstorm that swept along the Oregon and Washington coast in December 2007 is remembered as The Great Coastal Gale. Kenny Merrell remembers it as the start of life-changing events that led him to enroll at Lower Columbia College at age 40.
Merrell owned a Longview-based cellular phone retail business with several locations in the Northwest. The ferocious windstorm caused flooding that ruined two of his retail stores. Within the next year, the national recession forced him to close his remaining stores. As he was losing his business and his home, he also was losing his marriage.
“I lost it all,” he said.
After gaining custody of his two young children, Merrell focused on finding a new career but soon discovered that the jobs he wanted required something he did not yet possess: a college degree.
Despite his past business success, “Nobody would talk to me because I didn’t have a college degree,” he said.
A friend suggested that he enroll in college, which seemed absurd to Merrell because he had struggled to finish high school.
“I was just terrified of going to school,” he said. His friend kept nudging him to at least visit LCC and find out if it offered programs that could be helpful. After all, the friend pointed out, Merrell found success in business so why not give college a try?
Merrell contacted the college and soon discovered that he qualified for retraining as a result of the storm that destroyed his stores. He enrolled and began a life-changing transition.
“What I wanted to do was simple: I wanted a degree in small business management,” he said. “Not only did I graduate, but I graduated Phi Beta Kappa (the national honor society). While it was definitely challenging, LCC gave me the support I needed to be successful.”
Merrell soon learned that the college provided an array of resources to help students find success. He received instruction on how to study, including an analysis of the kind of learner, kinesthetic (hands-on), that he is. He followed advice given to him by college counselors: Go to every class, do the work, and spend as much time as possible on campus to take advantage of the learning environment, which included visits with his instructors and lots of study time in the campus learning center. He also became adept at balancing college life with being a single parent.
“The two kids and I were sitting there doing homework together day after day,” he said. “They were part of my journey. My children got to watch me start school, pay attention to school and graduate from school at the highest level.”
As he neared graduation, Merrell began focusing on entering the insurance industry. He wrote an insurance business plan that was required for his degree but also served to promote himself to a prospective employer. His work paid off when he presented it to the second company he contacted, Allstate.
“I knew more details on the insurance arena than any other applicant,” he said. “They hired me on the spot.”
After steady success and numerous awards for his performance with Allstate in Oregon, Merrell pursued an opportunity in Florida to own his own agency, Family First Insurance in Wesley Chapel, near Tampa.
Merrell said the guidance and education he received at LCC made it possible for him to build a new life.
“It is a badge of honor to share with my children and people in my life that I was able to obtain a degree at 42 years old,” he said.
Merrell’s LCC experience is an example of how the college strives to serve students in multiple ways.
“Inspiration and success stories are abundant at Lower Columbia College,” he said. “There’s a lot of opportunity... My teachers were available, they would go over any issues.”
Merrell said he is reconnecting to LCC as a donor and supporter as part of the college’s “Opportunity Can’t Wait” campaign because he wants to give back to the school and community. He said he encourages anyone who is seeking a positive change to consider LCC.
“My message to anybody would be, don’t doubt yourself, give it a chance. You have all the resources here to be successful. The one thing that will never change is you, if you don’t look for change.”