Experiencing health roadblocks can be discouraging, but Charity Keith uses her experiences to fuel a promising career. Despite a borderline personality diagnosis at a formative age, she completed two degree programs and continues to elevate her life through the pursuit of education and hobbies.
“Just because I have a certain diagnosis doesn't mean people have to put limits on me,” she notes. “It doesn't mean I have to live within that limitation of that diagnosis.”
Now, Charity is working on her second master’s degree at the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC), continuing to defy the odds.
Health Highs and Lows
Charity finds a way to move through her health ailments as they happen. She received an intellectual disability diagnosis at age 14, where she was assigned a low IQ upon testing. She says her IQ level is rising, as exhibited during recent IQ tests, but her original scores offered challenges in education that persisted into adulthood.
Another diagnosis of borderline personality disorder at age 20 also created an onslaught of obstacles. Charity finds the misconceptions around her conditions frustrating, as they often take priority over her as a patient. She was hospitalized for a psychotic break in her 20s, when she had already started her bachelor’s degree program. When her psychiatrist needed to validate her educational status, it reinforced the struggles she was feeling in a way that hit close to home.
“It made me feel inferior, that they were believing my mental health diagnosis over me,” she says.
Mental health aside, Charity’s health hardships extend elsewhere. She suffered a CVA stroke in 2021, one week after achieving her first master’s degree, and experienced two more strokes back-to-back in 2023 that were misdiagnosed as status migrainosus. She was also diagnosed with severe cognitive dysfunction, a form of dementia that affects short-term memory and general day-to-day living.
While this reality is not easy, Charity is forthcoming about her condition.
“I’m not afraid to talk about my struggles,” she says. “I believe in resilience and pushing on through the struggles of life.”
Before, her capabilities were limited. The strokes caused her to lose half of her eyesight, and she had trouble with communication and forming sentences. Now, her function is almost back to normal, with minor memory loss as her chief ailment. Maintaining her health takes a holistic path for Charity. During recovery, she played Candy Crush to increase her neuroplasticity. Now, she also meditates for an hour each day, either upon waking up in the morning or before bed. Bubble baths and a healthy diet also take precedence, along with leading a balanced life through her hobbies and education.
“I have so much education under my belt. I have more confidence and I have spirituality. I actually have hope now,” she says.
Turning to UAGC Through It All
Pushing through these setbacks resulted in a strong career in academics, something that Charity never lost sight of during her recovery. Going back to school when she was ready provided a much-needed boost of confidence and progress. This connection to her own conditions is a driving force in her studies.
“I was always told what I could and couldn't do, and I was told that I could never go to college, that I wasn't capable of it,” she says. “I’ve seen the stigma, even within the therapy field. It seems like so many people are against people with borderline personality disorder.”
Working through an online degree program means Charity can balance her time in an effective manner. She has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and finds it difficult to keep that focus. Luckily, she maintains a system of work that allows her to complete assignments and stay on track.
“Do one activity a day in school,” she advises. “I'll work on my discussion on Thursday and Friday, and then Saturday I'll do discussion responses. On Sunday and Monday, I'll do work on my assignment. I'm always doing something to keep myself busy. It’s hard to keep myself motivated, but I just remember that the end goal is to be able to help people.”
After obtaining her bachelor’s degree in childhood development, she earned a master’s degree in special education, finishing with a 3.9 GPA. She started her master’s degree in psychology* at UAGC and holds a strong involvement in the University, as a member of both the International Golden Key International Honors Society and the Gamma Upsilon chapter of the Alpha Delta Pi International Honor Society, a program for students in higher education with disabilities.
Charity hopes to study transpersonal psychology, to become a spiritual therapist* and “help people mentally, spiritually, and physically.” While her circumstances were not linear for her to graduate, her adversity serves as an essential tool to help her understand her students and others on a deeper level.
“I believe I experienced this so I could understand what it feels like to have a type of dementia,” she explains, “so I could be more empathetic in my studies and also in the future and helping people.”
Enjoying Life’s Offerings
Beyond her studies, Charity lives a full life pursuing her hobbies. Her online following numbers are in the thousands, where she makes TikTok videos about her interests like gardening, needlepoint, and her cats. She considers spiritual development one of her hobbies and creates videos on that topic as well. True to her interests, she hopes to travel to Lily Dale, NY, to explore the town devoted entirely to mediums and psychics.
Through it all, Charity continues to inspire others. Her spiritual mentor and best friend act as cheerleaders in her ventures, and Charity’s learning and cognition professor says she is a positive influence for others.
“He says that I'm an inspiration to everybody who pays attention to my discussion posts,” she says.
Charity’s future is not contingent upon her conditions. She takes advantage of her opportunities and doesn’t let any obstacle, physical or otherwise, hold her back.
“I like to prove people wrong, and set an example for other people with disabilities,” she says. “Just because people have a label, it doesn’t mean they have to be restricted.”
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*This program is not designed to meet the state educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification in any state. Students seeking licensure or certification in a particular profession shall carefully research the requirements prior to enrollment and regularly review the requirements as they are subject to change. Requirements vary by state. The University of Arizona Global Campus does not guarantee that any professional organization will accept a graduate’s application to sit for any exam for the purpose of professional certification. Further, a criminal record may prevent an applicant from obtaining licensure, certification, or employment in their field of study.
This program is not a licensure program and does not prepare an individual to become a licensed psychology professional. There is no practicum or internship associated with this degree.