Most people compose a resume in college for future employers about one page long, but not non-traditional student Mark Koncevic. His resume is four pages.

Senior Mark Koncevic graduated from Harold L Richards High School in Oak Lawn, Ill. in 1974. He attempted his first semester of college at 19, only to discover some hard core days of partying. After two years at Moraine Valley Community College, he dropped out, receiving no more than three hours.

Koncevic began drinking at the age of 13, and he tried cocaine at 17. This led to the experimentation of other drugs, which landed him in trouble.

“I wanted to have fun and party all the time,” Koncevic said. “It was more important to me at the time than school. I experimented with every drug, but cocaine was my favorite.”

The consequences of his actions included being arrested for the first time at 17 for driving while intoxicated and twice more within the next 10 years. He was into drinking and drugs so intensely that at 27 he was only 120 pounds. A cocaine overdose led to a heart attack which caused permanent damage.

He found himself in the courtroom often. The judge had no choice but to give Koncevic an ultimatum: get clean or go to prison.

“I made the choice for my life; I had to clean up my act and get my life together because face it, I would not have made it in prison…I would have ended up someone’s bitch,” he said.

In 1988, Koncevic met a girl. She was living in Arkansas while he was still living in Illinois. Their lives ended up in Lake of the Ozarks. Here, Koncevic got a job as a Substance Abuse Clinician, and having been an addict, he specialized in cocaine. He worked there for 22 years.

Koncevic is no longer married; however, the relationship produced three children McKinzi, 13; Dillon, 11 and Trevor, 10.

In 2002, he returned to college, this time as a full-time student. He has been a student at Western since and is planning on graduating in the summer of 2009. He will graduate with bachelor’s degrees in both graphic design and business administration with a minor in economics.

Other accomplishments include making the Dean’s list with a GPA of 3.5, and the following year, maintained a 4.0 and made the President’s list. In the same year, he was the president of the Non-Traditional Student Association and a senator in the Student Government Association. Because Koncevic is a hard worker, three out of five days a week he has class at 8 a.m. and doesn’t leave campus most days until 8 p.m. He resides in Cameron and drives back and forth everyday.

“I have lots of time to clear my mind and think about the shit going on in my life,” Koncevic said. “The drive actually isn’t that bad…it’s so expensive though; I pay $75 a week on gas alone.”

The faculty is impressed with Koncevic’s constant hard work and dedication to his education.

“He is such an active student,” said Ellen Kisker, director of the Non-traditional Student Services. “Not only does he engage in class, but he also participates in several organizations outside the classroom.”

He has faced many obstacles in his life, but through it all has had the strength to keep his head high. Two years ago, his mother passed away, and two days later he lost his brother. Last March, Koncevic found out he had bladder cancer. Last year alone he has had three different operations: one in March, again in June and most recently in September. In December
surgery was done on his left hand and elbow due to carpel tunnel syndrome.

As if these situations weren’t challenging enough, his work hours have been reduced from 20 hours a week, down to five, and back up to seven.

“There’s not enough work-study money to go around to the student workers and imagine having $35 a week to survive on,” Koncevic said.

The challenges in life don’t intimidate him.

“What are you going to do, sit around and whine about it?” Koncevic said. “I get out there and do what I can.”

Professors speak up for him and recognize his strengths to pull through the challenges he has faced.

“He has got good coping mechanisms and keeps plugging along,” Kisker said. “I think all he knows is to keep going. He wears lots of hats and somehow manages to keep them all organized.”

Currently, Koncevic is enrolled in 14 credit hours, and believes that keeping priorities straight will lead to a successful path.

“Don’t take school lightly the first time around,” he said. “The second time is way harder. I have basically had to do everything over again, so I would tell students not to party their asses off.”