One morning in January of 2021, Miraj Simpson woke up with a severe case of Bell’s Palsy, a neurological condition marked by a sudden weakness in facial muscles that makes half of the face droop.
Having lost her father to a stroke only a few months prior, she made her way to the emergency room to ensure her symptoms were not being caused by something more significant. After a series of tests, there were no signs of a more serious issue, but her case of Bell’s Palsy was so severe that doctors were not sure she’d ever regain full function of her facial muscles. Though the situation was not ideal or welcomed, Miraj kept a positive outlook.
“I always wanted to be a pirate, and I had to wear an eye patch,” she jokes. “Dreams do come true.”
She had to find new ways to eat and drink, and she was sensitive to light and sound. The only thing she could do to promote her own recovery was rest. “I was basically bedridden for a month,” she describes.
The condition gave Miraj an unexpected amount of free time. She had plenty of opportunities to think about what she wanted her future to look like and take an inventory of her interests and strengths.
“I decided I wanted to do something that felt authentic to me,” she says. “It wasn’t going to be something that was a safe option just because I thought that it would be secure.”
Having already had a variety of jobs and experiences, she says it was time for some direction. Her evaluation of her likes, dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses was the catalyst for her to enroll in the Supply Chain Management Program* at the University of Arizona Global Campus (UAGC).
Driven by Curiosity
“One of my favorite qualities about myself is my curiosity,” Miraj says. “It is the engine that drives me.”
Born in Sacramento, California, the eldest of five children, Miraj says her family moved around a lot, spending time in Arizona, Indiana, as well as other parts of California.
Driven by her curious nature, Miraj did well in school, but she says she was never the “popular kid.” Rather than seeking social status, Miraj dreamt of being admitted to a prestigious college. During her senior year of high school, however, things did not go the way she’d planned.
“I went to four different high schools that year,” she describes. Because of all the moving around and some miscommunications between schools, she says she wasn’t able to get the grades she needed to reach her goal of going to her dream university.
Though she was discouraged, she decided to try community college.
“It didn’t really work out because my mental health was not in a good place,” she explains. “I was struggling with bad relationships, homelessness, family deaths. I wasn’t in a good place to succeed.”
So, she took a break from traditional school and let her curiosity guide her to explore many different career paths. Miraj has worked as a daycare provider, fast food worker, insurance agent, wildlands firefighter, and more.
“I’m grateful to have had those experiences,” she says. “In addition to learning what I enjoyed doing, I also learned what I didn’t want to do. It was all relevant in finding a career path that has given me the space to do things I never expected.”
Little did she know, her newfound calling and seeking her supply chain management degree at UAGC would take her to unexpected places.
Taking it Global
Having found her fit in the field of supply chain and logistics, Miraj allowed her ever-present curiosity and a $93 flight to Latin America to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the global supply chain. She took her trip between May and August 2021, only a few short months after beginning her UAGC degree program, while she was still a mentee in the CHAMPS Peer Mentoring program.
“I started in Panama City, Panama, and was there for six weeks,” she says. “It was interesting to see how that city, being a global trade hub, had adapted to the pandemic.”
She then traveled to a small beach town in Mexico with a population of less than 50,000 people. She explored the difference in response between a big city and a small city.
“I found that city, in particular, was pretty well insulated from COVID for the time I was there,” she recalls. “They weren’t experiencing too many disruptions because most of their products were already sourced locally.”
Then, Miraj traveled to a city in Ecuador located two miles above sea level.
“It was a change to see a big city that has some geographical challenges,” she states. “How do you transport fish two miles up a mountain?”
Miraj also found that business practices vary in other parts of the world.
“In Latin America, business isn’t as straightforward as it is in the United States,” she says. “They are much bigger on personal relationships.”
Miraj has her sights set on taking her interests and passions global.
Her ventures outside the U.S. helped her to understand what works, what doesn’t, and how improvements might be possible on a global scale. Later this year, Miraj will continue her adventures when she begins an internship in Chile, which she was able to get by attending a logistics conference. Her ambition was apparent to a CEO she happened to strike up a conversation with. “He said, ‘You need to email me right now,’” she laughs, adding that she is in full preparation mode for her internship, attending trainings and onboarding sessions and even learning Spanish.
Miraj attributes her willingness to jump at any opportunity that arises to her eclectic resume. “I think it’s definitely allowed me to be flexible,” she confirms. “I’m used to working in so many different environments. I am much more skilled at holding my composure when I’m in a situation I’m not familiar with. It’s also taught me to trust myself.”
Her background has already provided her with many of the soft skills sought after in her field, like communication and building relationships with people.
An Unexpected Path
Now that Miraj has made almost a full recovery from Bell’s Palsy, she says any lingering issues aren’t that noticeable. “Once in a while, I’ll have involuntary facial spasms,” she says. “It’s not anything that I consider to be an impediment.” The most impactful symptom she continues to deal with is chronic fatigue. “In the past, I had so much energy,” she remembers. “Now I have to take advantage of the times I do have energy.”
While she thinks back on the big dreams of her youth to attend a prestigious university, she’s grateful for the turn her life took. Now, she says she understands the life experience she gained will be with her for her entire life. Her late arrival to higher education allowed her to truly find her passion.
“A lot of people in my age group are switching careers,” she asserts. “They don’t really like what they were doing out of college or out of high school. So, I don’t really feel like I’m behind; I feel like I’m on a fairly level playing field.”
Not only has her time at UAGC reassured her of her chosen path, but she has also formed strong, supportive relationships with instructors in her program, specifically with Bill Davis and Dr. Irina Weisblat, who have encouraged her to take on new challenges and opportunities.
“Mr. Davis recommended that I speak at the Teaching and Learning Conference last year, and he invited me to be on the faculty panel as well.” she beams. “Both he and Dr. Weisblat recommended me as a student panelist for the Critical Thinking Conference that followed, and now I’m working on a research symposium proposal with Dr. Weisblat.”
Miraj says these instructors offered encouragement when she was still unsure of herself as a student, recognizing her effort and clear potential. It helped her gain confidence and trust herself.
Ultimately, the trajectory that Miraj had found herself on may not have been what she expected or planned, but it happened at the right time and in the right way for her to recognize what she’s capable of accomplishing.
“I hope I inspire other nontraditional students, especially women, especially Black women,” she says. “Society sends people the message that if you don’t have your life figured out by 25, you’re doing something wrong. Next thing we know, we feel like it’s too late to change directions. It isn’t. It’s always a good time to start over. Discovering and following your passions does not have an age limit. You’re allowed to change your mind.”
She’s not done forging her path. Miraj plans to achieve more education beyond her bachelor’s degree in addition to making what is likely to be a global impact in her field.
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*This program is no longer accepting new enrollments.
Whitney Bradford is a UAGC senior content specialist and former University Advisor.
Certain degree programs are not available in all states.