No matter what age you are – whether you are a recent high school graduate or middle aged with children – going back to school to further your education is an extremely difficult task. It takes an abundance of time, effort and patience to go back and start classes. Although it can almost be a frightening task to go back to school, one student at Millikin University has fought great odds to continue his academic career.

Every Wednesday, from 2-5 p.m., Andrew Kovalcik, brother to Millikin University’s own history professor Dr. Timothy Kovalcik, is in attendance to Dr. Dan Monroe’s American Civil War course.

According to Kovalcik, after moving from the mountains of Arkansas to Decatur, Ill., when he realized that he could partake in a class of one of his favorite topics, he took the opprotunity.

However, although Kovalcik has a deep passion for the American Civil War, as well as a drive to continue learning, he has combatted his own struggles in order to continue his education.

On the day of his birth, Kovalcik suffered a stroke, which left Kovalcik with major physical and mental disabilities, affecting his daily life. Besides being restricted to completing everyday tasks, such as typing on a computer, according to Kovalcik himself, his main disability is a lack of both coordination and communication. Additionally, Kovalcik also discussed his mentality during the interview, specifically how he actually has a photographic memory, although it is difficult for him sometimes to put his thoughts and ideas into a coherent discussion.

Because of his intelligence, his passion for learning and his deep interest in studying the American Civil War, upon moving to Decatur from Arkansas, Kovalcik decided to further his education by enrolling in Monroe’s American Civil War course. Although Kovalcik deeply enjoys the course, there have been some struggles that he has encountered during the course.

Besides the general struggle of getting through a three-hour lecture based class, Kovalcik has encountered his own struggles while in the classroom. One of the main problems that He’s encountered in the classroom is the use of the desks, which hurt his lefs, therefore he experiences great discomfort sitting in them. To compensate for this, Monroe has been allowed to use a wheelchair in the classroom in order for Kovalcik to be comfortable while learning.

Furthermore, another problem that Kovalcik has encountered is the lack of space that the classroom offers, as the course has a large number of students that take up great spaces of the room, while the rows of desks themselves are very tight together. However, these discomforts have not stopped Kovalcik coming to class to continue his education.

Although there have been struggles for Kovalcik when pursuing his passion, it hasn’t destroyed his passion for learning and the American Civil War. Kovalcik is a wonderful example of how the only thing you need to continue your education – no matter where you are in life – is a desire to learn and the perseverance to stick with it. In the words of Kovalcik himself, nothing should hold anyone back from pursuing something they care about.