It was the summer of 2015 and Jake Holt was in a rough spot.
He had a meeting scheduled with Melissa Milliorn, chairwoman of Hardin-Simmons University's School of Social Work, but he couldn't get out of his own way. He threw up walking out the door, a common occurrence at the time for the former U.S. Army combat engineer.
Holt had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after finishing the last of his many tours of duty in 2011, and the thought of being around people, no matter the importance of the meeting, was ripping at his brain.
But Holt made it to the meeting, and three years later, he'll cross the Behrens Auditorium stage, diploma in hand and proof to his four adopted and two foster children that giving up is not an option.
"My life's got adventure in front of it, playing baseball and softball," Holt said. "But that's why I did this. I wanted to show my kids how to not quit, that you don't give up. I was ready to quit so many times, but I didn't."
Hardin-Simmons will hold two commencement ceremonies Saturday, beginning with a 10 a.m. event for students in the Cynthia Ann Parker College of Liberal Arts, the Holland School of Sciences and Mathematics, the Logsdon School of Theology and the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing.
A 2 p.m. commencement will confer degrees upon students in the Kelley College of Business, the College of Human Services & Educational Studies and the College of Fine Arts.
When Holt crosses the stage, it won't be the end of his journey, though. He has a bright future to look upon and smile despite the rough patches he had in his past. And it all starts with a job working for the Betty Hardwick Center.
Beginning with new employee orientation on May 21, Holt will be part of the Adult Mental Health Services.
Holt had an inside track to the job, but it almost didn't happen. This past year, he completed his field instruction requirement by working for Betty Hardwick's Early Childhood Intervention.
There was a job opening available in the Adult Mental Health Services department, and Holt applied. But because he had yet to complete his degree, his application was immediately not considered.
Until his field instructor got involved. They called Holt for an informal interview and soon after offered him the position.
And he isn't done with school, either. Holt will move beyond his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he'll seek his master's degree in vocational rehab.
Eventually, he said, he'd love to work with veterans like himself, especially the ones who need the services that are provided, but infrequently accepted, because of mental or other reasons.
Holt's still battling his own demons, still going to counselors. It started after his wife, Barbara Holt, gave him an ultimatum after some particularly difficult and private things happened while serving his final tour in Iraq as a member of the Army National Guard.
She told him it was either a doctor or a divorce, he said. He made an intelligent choice.
Barbara then pushed him past getting his own help and into a path meant to help others.
"I'm married to my best friend," he said. "She's my rock. She looked at me and said 'You're going to get your bachelor's degree.'"
Once there, Holt said, the practice classes were the roughest, but also the most rewarding. The 1980 Abilene High graduate was completely out of his comfort zone, an experienced veteran taking classes with students who were 20 and 21 years old.
Then there was Don Taylor, a history professor at the university. Something seemed familiar to Holt as they began talking after class one afternoon. Slowly, it dawned on the student that he knew the professor.
"We'd grown up together," Holt said. "We played ball together. It had been (decades) since I'd seen him, but I knew him."
In addition to his teachers, including Taylor and Milliorn, Holt said he also owes a great debt to his mentor, Jay Lowrey, a veteran who helped him navigate some of the murky waters of post-service benefits, and the staff of HSU's admissions department.