'I’m a Bearcat'

“People ask, ‘Oh, you’re graduating high school this year. Where are you graduating from?’ And she says, ‘I’m a Bearcat,’” Dixon’s mother, Michelle Dixon, said. “She just wants everyone to know she’s a Bearcat.”

When she visited UC, she liked the people she encountered and how nice everyone was. That confirmed what she had heard about the university from people who have attended UC and made it her No. 1 choice.

“A bunch of people I knew who went there have always said they loved it, and that it just felt like home to them,” she said. “And as soon as I got there, I got that home feeling they were telling me about.”

And she’s excited to remain close to her family.

As a self-described military brat, Dixon often lived far from her extended family during her childhood, spending much of it in Savannah, Georgia, and Germany. She’s cherished being close to family since moving to Cincinnati in 2015 and loves that she’ll still be near them while she’s in college.

“I can still see my niece and nephew and little cousins,” she said.

Dixon’s strong ties to her family also have been a big influence on her career goals.

Mom Michelle works in occupational therapy, and Dixon has watched as her mom helped children who couldn’t perform tasks themselves such as walking or writing.

“It really made me want to do that field,” Dixon said.

Her mother is proud that her daughter will be the first traditional college student in their family. Michelle Dixon became a certified occupational therapy assistant when she was 32 years old and is working toward a master’s degree in occupational therapy at UC.

“I want her to be able to go and experience campus life,” said her mom, whose parents, brother and sister also were nontraditional college students.

When she learned her daughter was accepted into UC and would be surprised at her school on Decision Day, she was thrilled. She’s glad she only had to keep the secret for a few days because normally she’s not very good at holding in her excitement.

“It was definitely hard for me because I don’t keep secrets. I’m not allowed to purchase Christmas gifts and know where they’re hidden,” she said. “I get so excited. I just want to share the excitement that I have.”

When Dixon learned UC was visiting her school, she didn’t expect to be singled out with admittance to the university. But she was beyond excited when she discovered she had been admitted to her No. 1 college choice.

“I was flabbergasted. I was confused,” Dixon said. “I was just overwhelmed and so excited.”

Featured image: Lachelle Dixon | Photo/Andrew Higley/UC Creative + Brand