What began as a normal hire announcement in August of 2022 soon became the opening chapter of a courageous pursuit, as Traci Hayward joined Millikin driven by passion rather than certainty.

Before Millikin, Hayward battled to find her true passion, a struggle that kept her in school.

“I’ve kind of always been in school,” Hayward said. “I just never stopped.”

Hayward originally went to school to become an athletic trainer, graduating from the University of Tulsa before returning to earn a degree in kinesiology at San Jose State. Afterward, she earned her teaching degree from Lindenwood University. 

However, her education journey didn’t stop there. Hayward is now pursuing her doctorate at Arizona State University and will soon become a professor.

Hayward expressed her concern about finding her passion. Throughout her journey, she switched what she wanted to pursue multiple times.

“It can feel like you’re behind,” Hayward said. “Like everyone else has it figured out, and you’re still changing your mind.”

Hayward initially wanted to become an athletic trainer, which she did for over six years before transitioning into teaching and becoming a principal. She would lose her position due to an unfair selection process. 

“The district I worked for, where I was an assistant principal, made cuts,” Hayward said. “I was one of them. Because they let two assistant principals who had tenure in the district, they let them choose a position they wanted somewhere else in the district, and someone chose my spot, which forced me out.”

However, that would ultimately benefit Hayward, as it led her to a job at Millikin University, where she discovered her passion for becoming a professor. 

“I really didn’t know this was a passion until I came here,” she said. “I just always was passionate about education, you know. I looked for jobs all summer. Then, finally, in August, I saw the posting for [Millikin]… School starts in August. I responded immediately. They did a phone interview, and then I had to come in and do a teaching segment and then had another interview. And then I ended up getting the job.” 

Even with a wild summer before landing in Decatur, she adapted quickly and began the next part of her life. Hayward would become a mother to her daughter, Cali, while balancing a job and school. 

She didn’t let much affect her. 

However, she knew what had to happen and stayed positive, accepting her position in life. 

“When I started my doctorate, I already had so many responsibilities,” she said. “It wasn’t just about me anymore.”

Hayward would finish at work and head home to be with her lovely family. When Cali would sleep, she’d start her schoolwork and joke about how she might grade things late, since that was how her schedule panned out.

“When you get emails from me at one or two in the morning, that’s just when I have the time,” Hayward said.

Hayward understood what it would take to follow her passion, and it never affected her. She would still be able to do things with her family and spend quality time with her daughter, which Cali recalled as some of her favorite memories and activities.

“We take trips,” Cali said. “One time, we fed the big tortoises in Michigan, and they chased after us. We laughed really hard. Also, beaches, when we are walking to the beach, like in Michigan City, and I’m so far ahead of you. Singing “Golden” together from K-Pop Demon Hunters and singing “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo.”

Hayward would also come up with fun ways to involve Cali in her work, such as visiting many times throughout the year and becoming a member of the class for a day.

“She loves it here,” Hayward said. “She’ll ask, ‘Can I come to school with you?’”

Hayward spoke about how stressful being a full-time mother, student, advisor, and professor can be. 

“It’s hard because I do feel like I am constantly working,” she said. “So it’s not like I leave here at night and I’m done with my job. I have to grade, and I have to plan lessons, and I have to, so it never stops.”

But Hayward has made time in her schedule for herself as well. 

Hayward gives herself the summer and school breaks to spend time with family, go on trips, and more. But during the school year, she will also treat herself to a few nice amenities.

“This may sound bougie, but I do have a monthly massage club that I belong to,” Hayward said. “So I’ll go do that. So that’s really helpful.”

Hayward now enters her fourth year of teaching here at Millikin and reflects on how it’s been so far.

“I think it’s been great,” Hayward said. “I keep teasing that I feel like I’m in the honeymoon period of my job, and I keep waiting for it to stop being as enjoyable. It hasn’t happened yet. I’m going into year four of teaching, and I still love what I do. I love coming to work every day. I love being able to do what I enjoy.”

Hayward also shared her love for Dr. Broadbear, who was a tremendous mentor as she began at Millikin. Their connection went beyond just Millikin-related queries to the template she used to start her classes.

“So when I first came in, I would ask her questions about the classes I was teaching,” Hayward said. “I mean, if you can imagine coming in and adopting all these classes, luckily, the people who taught before me gave me their Moodle shell, so I was able to see what they had done. Then I started to develop it on my own, as if I wanted to change anything. So I met with her a lot to say, ‘How do I do this, or what do I do?’ She would help me. I would go to her when I was looking for my doctorate… So different things. I mean, she’s always there to answer questions. So we would meet almost weekly when I first started.”

Hayward not only had the staff’s love but also the students’ love.

“Traci is very approachable, encouraging, and dedicated,” junior Ella Michel Phillips said. “She is a very genuine and reliable professor.”

Hayward created a warm, welcoming teaching environment in her class, which led her to develop deeper bonds with her students. 

“The other thing is relationships with students,” Hayward said. “I’m huge on relationships. So if a student doesn’t want to get to know me, that’s fine too… I know my PE students very well, but there are other students that I teach in different areas that I may not know as well. I try to get to know them; usually, I can. Maybe it’s as simple as watching the same TV show. So like, you know, the next week [I ask], ‘Hey, did you catch that show or whatever,’ and just [catch] up on those kinds of things, but just really the same because I think that that is the real thing behind teaching… When it comes to having to form those relationships with students, they’re going to respect you a lot more.”

She remains connected to her students as they move on to the next chapter of their lives, whether that may be them in the teaching world or other endeavors. 

“I think it’s funny because now they’ve become my peers, you know,” Hayward said. “So now they’re almost there. I don’t work with them. They’re not like my colleagues, but they’re my peers because they’re out there teaching, right?” 

Hayward’s hard work did not go unnoticed, as Cali is and will always be her number one supporter. 

“It makes me proud that she is almost a doctor,” Cali said. “It makes me proud when she comes to my dance events, because I know it’s hard for her with so many things to do. I’m also glad that she takes care of me.”

Hayward’s journey is far from over, but she hopes to leave a lasting impact on her students and Millikin as a whole. 

“I just hope the things I taught stay in some students’ heads, and that they remember the good times they had in college,” Hayward said. “We had fun, but they also took things from it, and they utilize it in their own practice.”