By Tiffany Whitfield and Jefferson Huddle

Levi Davis于2023年5月毕业于Old Dominion University，获得应用数学学士学位. However, Davis is not your average four-year student. 他克服了个人的挑战和挫折，用14年的时间获得了学位.

After graduating from high school in 2008, Davis started his college career at Averett University in Danville, Virginia. “我去那里的主要原因是打篮球，希望能从那里转到一所甲级学校,” said Davis. After one semester, Davis was unhappy. “It just didn't work out, and I wanted to transfer.”

他于2009年春季申请，并于2009年秋季正式转学至ODU. 戴维斯说:“从一个非常小的学校到ODU这样的学校，这是一个很大的转变. “当我来的时候，我已经确定我没有决定我的专业.” Uncertain if ODU was going to work out, 他以一种开放的心态进入了大学，至少要试一试.

一年级结束后，他一直在考虑是主修工程还是数学. Unsure of his choice, 戴维斯去找了一位工程顾问，他被建议先学微积分. “The advisor told me, ‘if you’re thinking about doing math, wait until you finish with calculus, and then come back and we can decide from there.’” Davis was all in on that plan. “I finished calculus with an ‘A’, and that’s how I knew I was going to make mathematics my major,” said Davis. 

在他大二的时候，戴维斯已经完全适应了大学生活的节奏. He even held a part-time job alongside his academics. 不幸的是，在他母亲的脚做了手术后，事情开始变得一发不可收拾. 戴维斯说:“手术基本上让她无法生存，而且她赚的钱也没那么多。. 他已经在校外做了一份每周几个小时的兼职, 他曾在科学辅导中心(STC)(前身为数学和科学资源中心)担任数学导师. “I wanted to help out my mom and by this time she was bed-ridden, and she needed intense physical therapy,” said Davis. His 15 hours a week turned into 40 hours a week. “Now, I’m working full-time because I had to be the man and help my mom, so I was completely distracted, and the distraction took a toll on me.“他来自单亲家庭，竭尽所能地支持母亲.

他有一份全职工作，还要照顾母亲，于是他勇敢地开始了下学期的学习, 但医药费随着更多令人震惊的消息堆积起来. “My mom said, ‘you know the house is in foreclosure, and you know we both have to move now’,” said Davis. His mom moved in with a relative. “I ended up moving in with my father,” said Daivs. “All of this was happening in the middle of my junior semester, and I was more worried about my mom than my own well-being.” She assured him that everything was going to be fine. He packed up everything and put their belongings in storage. “This was all another big distraction for me, having to leave my home and my mother was definitely a big toll,” said Davis. He failed his courses that semester. “I wasn’t able to recover from that one,” said Davis. “Because I bombed all my classes, I got a letter from ODU, stating because I didn’t pass any classes, 我必须偿还给我的一部分经济援助，共计1美元,800.” He couldn’t afford to pay back the partial financial aid, 这意味着他不能注册课程，也不能在ODU上大四. “This was the start of my eight-year hiatus from ODU,” said Davis.

Davis left ODU in 2014 at which time he was working at Home Depot. He had other financial obligations that he had to take care of, and he could not pay the $1,800 back to the university. “一年变成了两年，两年变成了五年，”戴维斯说. 

离开家得宝后，他成为了一名邮递员，送了四年邮件. “One of my routes as a mailman was ODU,” said Davis. “I had to deliver to 40th street, 41st, 45th 我也会送去四方院、道明大厦和学生公寓.” When he was on campus delivering the mail, he always stopped by to say “hello” to Andrea Stephen, manager of the STC and his former supervisor. “I always kept in touch with her, and I told her I’m going to come back and finish what I started,” said Davis.

当他是一名邮政工人时，他能够履行一项义务. “I paid my debt back to ODU,” said Davis.

在邮政服务之后，他于2020年加入了商船，工作了两年. “One of the first places I went to was San Diego California, and I went there for training, and I fell in love with this city,” said Davis. 关岛是他去的第一个地方，之后他去了日本，在那里的几个城市工作，然后在夏威夷的珍珠港工作, South Korea, Hawaii again, Guam and Washington state.

“During my third deployment, 因为在2022年3月至6月的大部分时间里，我们都驻扎在诺福克,” said Davis. 戴维斯说:“我能够回到ODU，把一切都安排好. Also, on lunch breaks he visited Stephen at the STC. Ultimately, he had a plan to return to ODU in the fall of 2022. 然而，他不得不在2022年7月离开商船. “Before I left, I registered for classes that were to begin in August, 我知道我必须在8月29日星期五之前回来开始上课,” said Davis. Once he was back at sea, the first place he went to was Spain, 8月，他去了英国，访问了苏格兰和伦敦. “The clock is ticking and it’s August 22, 我知道我必须在周三之前下船，坐上回诺福克的航班,” said Davis. In his line of work, he couldn’t leave until his relief showed up. “The ship was leaving on Friday to go out to sea for two weeks, but my relief came on that Wednesday, 周五我就能飞回美国了,” said Davis. “I started back at ODU in fall 2022,” said Davis.

Initially he took 12 credits. “I told myself I’m going to get this degree,” said Davis. Because he was still affiliated with the Merchant Marines, he was scheduled to go to the Middle East in November 202, 所以他辞职了，因为他马上就要完成在奥德赛大学的大四了.

The first person he went to see again was Andrea Stephen, and she gave him a math tutoring position at the STC. “I look at her like a mother, and I call her my ‘momma on campus’, 离开ODU的八年里，她给了我很多鼓励,” said Daivs. “It’s not enough thank you’s I can say to her.”

此外，他还在TRIO学生支持服务公司找到了第二份数学辅导工作. He became active in the Mathematics/Statistics club on campus. “To Ms. 在我离开之前，我是一名导师，谢天谢地，她张开双臂欢迎我回到TRIO, and I can’t thank them both enough,” said Davis.

He was laser focused on finishing what he started this time around. “It felt empty, and it felt like a thorn in my side to not finish what I started, and I value my degree,” said Davis. “这是我为之奋斗的目标，即使在中断了八年之后，我也想完成它.” He earned his degree in May 2023.

Just before graduation, Davis networked and applied for positions. “I made this list of places I wanted to live after graduation, and San Diego was number one on my list,” said Davis. 4月1日，在ODU的录取学生日，作为STC的一部分，他参加了一个摆桌活动. While there, 这是一位先生和他的家人，他的女儿计划在2023年秋天上俄勒冈州立大学. “I’m speaking to the father, and he asked me what my major is, and I told him I’m an applied math major,” said Davis. 这位先生说，他正在寻找应用数学专业的学生，为国家海洋和大气管理局(NOAA)的国家大地测量局(National Geodetic Survey)工作, and he happened to be the Deputy Director. 这项研究是针对气候和大气的，并与美国国家海洋和大气管理局保持一致. 几天后，他们在Zoom上见面，讨论了获得经济援助以帮助支付研究生学费的潜在机会.

戴维斯说:“这点燃了我申请研究生院的热情。. 他向圣地亚哥州立大学(SDSU)申请研究生院, and NOAA is heavily connected to SDSU. They were the only school with a late deadline to apply. He got his acceptance letter to SDSU the week of finals at ODU. 在间隔年之后，戴维斯计划在2024年秋天进入加州州立大学.