After an 11-year absence, James Sterling Warnock returned to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

During his initial enrollment, he suffered personal difficulties and left school.

“I have struggled with depression since my teenage years, on now into my early 30s,” Warnock said. “It has always played a major role in my abilities to succeed in tasks, such as my consistency in school.”

The birth of his child, Aria, inspired him to return to UALR and finish his degree.

“My daughter has become the light of my life, propelling me onto a path of bettering myself and becoming a loving father.”

Warnock is set to graduate this month and go on to pursue his dream of becoming a music therapist.

He is inspired by the idea of helping others through the use of alternative mediums such as aesthetic therapies.

“Music has always been a therapeutic medium for me, allowing me to communicate with the outer world,” he said.

With no music therapy degrees offered in the state of Arkansas, Sterling pursued a related degree at UALR.

Warnock plans to obtain an official music therapy degree through an equivalency program. This program allows students who have a degree similar to a bachelor’s in music therapy to complete the remaining requirements to become eligible for certification as a licensed music therapist.

Warnock plans to continue along this path of obtaining certification once he graduates this December.

“My experience at UALR has been an unusual set of circumstances, but I believe it is a testament that anything is possible if we put our hearts and minds to it,” he said.