Midland College’s (MC) Mariah Whitley exemplifies perseverance as she strives to turn her life around despite numerous challenges.
According to a news release from MC, Whitley enrolled in the school’s paralegal program at 29 years old, after an 11-year hiatus from education. She is part of a growing trend of adults returning to school to begin their professional careers.
"My father passed away two days before my 17th birthday, right before my senior year, and I had a difficult time dealing with his death," said Whitley. "I graduated from Midland High School in May of 2011 and started taking classes at Midland College the next fall, but I wasn’t very motivated. In fact, I dropped out before the end of the semester. Then, in 2012, I became pregnant and had my son David. After that, I didn’t have much time for school. I had an infant and needed to work to support our family."
Her career took a positive turn in 2018 when she began working within the coding department at Endeavor Energy Resources. By 2022, Whitley advanced to the role of contracts administrator in the company’s legal department.
"I was looking for other opportunities at Endeavor because I wanted to move up the career ladder," Whitley said. "However, I think that not having any education beyond high school hurt my chances of being considered for other positions. Then, in the spring of 2022 Angie Bramley, the Legal Operations manager, approached me and offered me the position as contracts administrator. Angie is a phenomenal mentor, and she is actually one of the people who encouraged me to enroll in MC’s paralegal program."
With the recent merger of Endeavor and Diamondback Energy, Whitley hopes it will create new opportunities within the company. She aims to secure a legal technician certificate by year-end and graduate with an Associate of Applied Science degree by May 2025. Ultimately, she plans to continue her studies at MC and pursue a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas Permian Basin.