Atwater on journey to self-discovery: 'I came back to Midland and enrolled in Midland College, where I immediately felt at home'

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Candice Atwater credits her time at Midland College for helping her choose to pursue dental hygiene studies. | Midland College

It’s not uncommon for college students to embark on paths different from the ones they started on, as in the case of Candice Atwater. According to an Aug. 25 press release issued by Midland College (MC), nearly a decade ago, the lifelong Midland resident left the Permian Basin for the Coastal Bend some 470 to the southeast to pursue a degree in theater arts at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) only to return home upon the realization the environment wasn’t for her.

“I stuck it out for one semester, and then came back to Midland and enrolled in Midland College, where I immediately felt at home,” Atwater, a Midland High School alumna, said in the release.

Since coming back to Midland, Atwater matriculated part-time at MC from January 2016 until last May, the release said. It was during that time period when she discovered her true calling – healthcare – and has plans to enroll with the University of Phoenix’s dental hygiene program. 

“I definitely was not a traditional college student,” Atwater told MC. “It took me seven years to get an associate degree, and I learned a lot along the way. Two of the most important things were not to be afraid of commitment and to try everything.”

The release said aside from attending classes at MC, Atwater worked part-time in the retail and customer service sectors. A skating enthusiast in her youth, she coaches local children in the sport. “It offers a unique opportunity for kids to become physically fit while expressing themselves creatively,” Atwater said.

Atwater relishes her time at MC, saying she “never had a bad professor” and each class allowed her to discover something unique about herself. “I don’t think I would have discovered a career in dental hygiene had I not come back to Midland and enrolled at Midland College,” Atwater said. “I learned how to study and communicate. Even though it took me seven years to get a degree, it was an incredible journey of self-discovery, and now I’m looking forward to what the future will bring.”