Perseverance Helps Outstanding Graduate Persinger Move Forward
As a person who had struggled with substance abuse issues in the past, it’s important to Brittany Persinger to be a light for people who are currently struggling.
Motivated to change, she completed her own transformation at Owens Community College and an associate degree in Social Work in spring 2025. For her work inside and outside of the classroom, she was also named the program’s outstanding graduate.
Persinger worked with women in a correctional treatment facility, and she wanted to show them that people still care about them. It gave her joy and peace to see people re-engage and work to improve their lives.
“It’s very important for me to help other people,” Persinger said. “I had other people help me. I also like to see a light come back on when you’re working with people. Some people feel hopeless all of the time. I really want to help somebody else find that same path, like I was able to.
“A lot of times, mental health can be dismissed. I’ve always been interested in why people do the things they do.”
A native of Columbus, Persinger was sent to a halfway house in northwest Ohio. When her time was done there, she decided to live locally.
Persinger has made this journey while being a single mother of two young daughters, ages 6 and 1. While she admitted there were stressful times that made her “want to pull my hair out,” Owens has helped make the experience easier.
“I’ve always been able to get my questions answered and the professors are nice,” Persinger said. “With being a single mom, they’ve always helped me out. They’ve made it easy for me to graduate.”
Persinger plans to pursue her bachelor’s degree, and winning the award at Owens has helped with her confidence.
“It made me really proud of myself,” Persinger said. “Sometimes I don’t like to recognize my achievements or I downplay them, but this made me see I can do this and not doubt myself so much. It made me see more of my capabilities.”
Not only has winning the outstanding graduate award and earning her associate degree changed her self-image, but she hopes it helps show that stereotypes of addicts aren’t true.
“There are a lot of different perspectives people have on addiction,” Persinger said. “That’s a very big part of (my motivation). If people don’t really understand the back end of it, they shun people or have nothing to do with them. I know a different story.”
Published May 2025