March 16, 2022
Like any supportive mother, Roseann Durbin encouraged her daughter, Hannah, as she considered furthering her education — specifically by pursuing the accelerated master’s coordinated program in dietetics through the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.
“I thought the program sounded really cool,” Durbin said. “It sounded so cool, in fact, that I made the mistake of saying that if you decide to do it, I’ll join you!”
Durbin got her application completed in plenty of time and joined her daughter on their new adventure. It’s the second semester as Mizzou classmates for the mother-daughter duo.
“Being a student hasn’t always been Hannah’s thing, so if she wanted to go for it, that meant she was super-motivated,” Durbin said. “That also lit a fire under me.”
The two had three courses together during the fall semester – food science and nutrition, introduction to human nutrition, and medical terminology.
Before returning to the classroom, Durbin already had three degrees under her belt, including one from Stephens College. She began graduate school at MU in the late 1970s before eventually joining the U.S. Army Reserve. While in the reserves, Durbin met her future husband.
“The trajectory of my life completely changed when I joined the reserves,” Durbin said. “And now, 40 years later, I’m back where I started.”
The duo said they are both continuing to work toward finding their fit as nontraditional students, something that they get to work through together.
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