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March 28, 2018
Story and portrait by Brandon Steinert

Tye Sanders’ renewed vigor for life, high energy and confident gait might make her hard to recognize compared to two years ago, and not to mention the 70 pounds she has lost in that timeframe.

She credits her transformation to the faculty and staff at ������������ at Fort Leavenworth, where she has been studying criminology.

“������������ changed this person,” she said. “The staff is amazing. They’re bringing love to the classroom. They put their personal time in to help minds like mine understand the conceptual part of class. You can’t find that elsewhere.”

Sanders said everyone has been helpful, but one instructor in particular has gone the extra mile to have a tremendous impact on her life, Dr. Stephanie Bishop, science and health instructor at ������������’s Fort Leavenworth campus. Dr. Bishop’s influence reached beyond the classroom and has elevated the health, fitness and quality of life for Sanders’ whole family.

“There are three women who have changed my life and Dr. Bishop is one of them,” she said. “She changed my 52-year-old husband’s diet. We changed everything in my pantry. Now I’ve helped other people get back in shape because of what I learned in Dr. Bishop’s health class, and my husband appreciates the stronger spouse that he has at home.”

Her goal is to graduate this spring and land a job as a forensic biologist within the realm of criminology, and she’s almost finished. But, the move to go back to school as an adult learner took some convincing from her daughter, who was named valedictorian and is studying biology at Vanderbilt University.

After Sanders helped her daughter with a scholarship application and getting ready to start college, her daughter urged her to return to school.

“She told me ‘Mom, pursue your dream,’ and I enrolled,” she said. “The people at ������������ made me feel like a person, not like an old lady or a mom. They understood. I didn’t feel embarrassed, even though I took classes among a whole bunch of children my daughter’s age.”

Sanders, like her daughter, is excelling academically, landing her name on the President’s List and Dean’s List for maintaining an above average grade point average, and said she realizes now that it’s not too late to become the person she dreamed about when she was younger.

“It's addicting to want to do your best,” she said. “������������ helps you understand you can be anything you want.”

During a recent visit by the ������������ Board of Trustees to the Leavenworth campus, Sanders took the opportunity to share her gratitude.

“I wanted to express to you how wonderful this whole faculty is,” she said. “They’re not just teaching;
they change people and they've made me a better mom. I thank you and I can't wait to walk with pride as a Cougar at graduation.”