Medical School is Next Adventure for Non-Traditional Rockstar Student

For many young adults, 19 is an age with many transitions – they’re no longer in high school, possibly in college, and determining what comes next.

When Carroll Bentley was 19, he, too, was in a moment of transition. In Bentley’s case, the passage into adulthood involved getting married before graduating from West Campus Technical Center, having a child, and then a divorce soon after.

For Bentley, by age 19 he was a single father raising a daughter and college was the last thing on his mind.

But now his daughter Madison is 19 herself, and Bentley, now 37, is at the beginning of another great transition – this one involving graduating from the college he never thought he’d attend.

And that’s not all. In addition to being the first person in his family to complete college, Bentley is also heading to medical school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).

“It’s definitely been a journey,” Bentley said. “I’m a non-traditional student and single parent and before I started [at the U of A] I was out of school for 14 years. Going back brought up a lot of emotions but I needed to do something different to provide a better life for Maddie and I.”

When the Lincoln, Ark. native first thought about going to the U of A as a full-time student to get his bachelor’s degree, it seemed like a nearly impossible goal.

“The biggest issue of breaking that barrier is believing you can do it,” he said. “With the background I come from you don’t think about the future. You think about today and trying to make it through the day.”

On top of that, before enrolling, Bentley first went through a series of dramatic changes – he quit a full-time job that was stable but made him unhappy, worked on improving his mental health, faced financial difficulties, and gained full custody of Madison.

Once he’d submitted his U of A application materials and was told he would likely be accepted, Bentley said he “went outside and had a couple tears because I knew that I was starting a new path.”

“Neither one of my parents finished high school [and] growing up in the kind of poverty I did forced me to start working fairly young,” Bentley said.

He helped on farms, walked for miles picking up aluminum cans for a little extra money, and started working for regular paychecks by age 15.

“So, I know the other end, I know that spectrum of poverty,” Bentley said. “Sometimes I’ve dropped the ball for sure, but there’s always been an intrinsic motivation to know what has to be done and it has to get done no matter what.”

“And when I started college, I knew failure wasn’t an option. After I applied here it was all or nothing. There was no room for failure,” he said.

Soon after enrolling, Bentley took a job in the U of A’s David W. Mullins Library, and applied for grants, loans and scholarships to stay afloat. One of the most meaningful awards he received was from the Single Parent Scholarship Fund of Northwest Arkansas because the group recognizes how hard it can be to go to college while raising children.

Bentley said his daughter Madison was 13 when he started classes, and that first year went by in a blur. It was also his most difficult year because he didn’t have health insurance or a vehicle.

Things got easier as time went by, and Bentley’s stress lessened as he was able to get insurance through the Affordable Care Act and find a rhythm to his and Madison’s hectic days.

“We would get up in the morning, she’d go to school, I’d go to campus, and I’d work, research, volunteer and then have class on campus and fit everything in between 8 and 6 or so, and literally run from building to building,” Bentley said.

Madison Bentley agreed and said, “Pursuing studies at the same time as my dad was definitely very interesting.”

There were times when Madison felt like they were too busy, but then “my dad noticed so we went to go do something fun together. Then after that we would always try and plan dinner or a fun activity every week, even if it was just sitting home and watching a movie or going on a walk.”

“I was just happy to be spending time together,” she said. “And my dad always had my back with my schoolwork even if he was super busy with class. He tried his hardest. I know raising a teenager and being in college is definitely hard.”

Madison said one of her happiest memories was the day her dad got full custody of her.

“I loved being at my dad’s house every weekend. Eventually I decided that it was time to live with him full time, so I told him, and he made it happen,” she said. “I’m so glad to have my dad and I’m just so proud of him and all his accomplishments. He’s taken really good care of me and looking back makes me appreciate him even more.”

For Bentley, the moment he knew it would all work out in the end was when he needed a minor medical procedure that required anesthesia. That same night, Madison had a choir concert, so Bentley asked friends to take them. The very next morning, while still recovering from the anesthesia fog, he took an algebra final and passed with flying colors.

“At that point I knew I would succeed,” he said. “I’ve just tried to keep pushing forward, so my education has really changed my entire life and I feel like I was a better father because of it, a better person because of it.”

Interlibrary Loan Coordinator Robin G. Roggio, M.L.I.S., has been Bentley’s supervisor since he started with her team as a work-study student in 2016.

Roggio said Bentley initially asked for her help editing some of his papers for classes.

“He worked so hard. He took many writing classes throughout college to improve,” she said. “And after the first few semesters, he wasn’t asking me to look at his papers anymore. When he was working on his medical school application, he sent me some stuff to look over. I was blown away by the difference in his writing. I felt like a proud parent! He really cared and he put in the work.”

Roggio said she and Bentley also bonded over having similar pasts because they both grew up in rural Arkansas at poverty level.

“Both of us pulled ourselves out and have done much more than was ‘expected’ of us,” she said. “[Carroll] has accomplished more in six years than I think even he knew he could. But he just made that decision one day, that he wanted change.”

“It’s not an easy thing to do. You are stepping out of a cycle that might be the only way of life you are familiar with and doing things you’ve never done before. I saw him struggle, I know he was exhausted a lot, especially when his daughter was younger,” Roggio said.

“Just taking that first step was the most important,” she added. “When others don’t believe in you, be stubborn, do it to prove them wrong. You have the strength inside you. The challenge is just finding the right inspiration or motivation to keep going when you feel overwhelmed.”

Bentley agreed, adding that “the lack of money isn’t the worst thing about poverty, it’s the lack of a future that is instilled in people that live in poverty. It’s not that people don’t want out of poverty. It’s truly hard because they don’t believe they can and it’s scary to step into the unknown.”

Despite being so busy, Roggio said Bentley is always willing to give his limited time to others. Once when a waterline under her house broke and she was forced to move suddenly, Bentley was there.

“He came by outside of work hours and helped me move big, heavy furniture,” she said. “He was working, raising a teenager, taking like 15 hours a semester, and he still gave me his time because he knew I was in a bind. I didn’t ask him to, and it really touched me that he would do that. It was just above and beyond what most people do for others.”

While Bentley spends most of his time in class, studying, and working, Roggio said he also makes sure to have time with family and friends, and volunteers on the weekends. He was also recently named the U of A Staff Senate’s Part Time Employee of the Year and has won other awards through the library.

“He’s headed toward rockstar status, and we are so proud,” Roggio said. “I feel lucky that he chose the library all those years ago when he first started college. It’s been so neat to watch him grow and mature into a future doctor. We are going to miss him around here tremendously.”

For Bentley, the decision to become a doctor also stems from his roots in rural Arkansas. While he majored in psychology and originally thought he might become a psychologist, his memories of growing up without access to medical care also shaped his purpose.

“My goal is to practice rural medicine and really try to help the underserved population, the population I was once a part of,” Bentley said.

He’s been shadowing Dr. Susan Ferguson in Lincoln and has already seen how sharing the same background can be an “automatic connection” with patients, “so I hope to use that to really build on what I believe are some key issues with that particular population.”

Bentley said his father was diabetic and had heart issues, but that he “never really managed his health and he died several years ago due to heart complications.”

“I hope to really instill a sense of self awareness and motivation for patients [like him] to put themselves in the driver’s seat,” he said. “As a physician, I want to be a navigator helping with patients driving themselves.”

Bentley also has a deep interest in neuroscience, which stems from his experience working in assistant professor of psychological science Connie Lamm’s EEG research laboratory.

“In the spring of 2017, I started advertising for volunteer research assistants,” Lamm said. “Many students contacted me, and I have to admit, at this point, the only interview I remember was with Carroll. Here was this student, that looked the same age as everyone else, but was so much more mature and focused. He spoke about working in supply chain and wanting more from life. I took him on immediately.”

Lamm said Bentley quickly progressed from being a lab assistant to leading EEG testing sessions, which included training other students and understanding EEG artifacts.

“He was the first undergraduate student to take on this position in my lab,” she said. “He would meet with me regularly to learn more about the science underlying EEG and neuroscience in general. He was obviously fascinated by the brain.”

Lamm and Bentley often discussed his future and at one point Bentley decided he was interested in adding pre-med courses to his educational plan. Lamm encouraged him to go for it.

“After going through all this neuroscience, I was sitting down with Connie and she was like, ‘you want to do medicine?’ I said I do, and she was like, ‘why don’t you?’ And I was like ‘I’m not sure if I’d be successful,’ and that’s when she said, ‘but look what you’ve already done.’ So, I went ahead and added pre-med and really have done pretty good with it.”

Lamm also encouraged Bentley to join the Honors College and she became thesis advisor for his project exploring the relationship between the neural signatures underlying various cognitive control paradigms and impulsivity.

“My guess is that when you know how rough life can be without education, as Carroll did, motivating yourself to make a better life for yourself becomes a little easier,” she said. “Carroll did all this while being a single parent and working around 20-30 hours a week in the library. I am so very, very proud of him and will always be his mentor, if he needs one.”

Bentley credits mentors like Lamm, Roggio and Calvin White, Jr., associate dean of Fulbright College and associate professor of history, with helping him to navigate his undergraduate journey and learn to believe in himself.

“When I got my acceptance into med school, seeing the letter for the first time was very emotional. For a solid week or two, I was looking at the letter and being like ‘is this real?’ But then there’s this other side of me that now knows it’s real, and my effort will get me to whatever goal I want achieved,” he said.

“Without the people I made relationships with here I wouldn’t be where I am, they believed in me more than I believed in myself at some times. Any time I ever had self-doubt they would be pushing me even harder. I’m definitely thankful,” he said.

When Bentley took an introductory course on American history with White, he knew “this is the kind of person that if I get to know him, he’ll only make me better.”

“And I was right, I wouldn’t be the same person if it wasn’t for Dr. White,” Bentley said. “His guidance was fantastic, and I will always be grateful to have him in my life.”

White said he met Bentley when he took on an extra course he normally wouldn’t have been teaching.

“Even amongst 200 people and three GAs working the class, [Carroll] still found his way to my office to speak to me,” White said. “It was the day I talked about my own humble beginnings and how I was a first-generation college student that he felt comfortable enough to come and speak to me.”

From there, the two developed an excellent and ongoing rapport.

“We talked about what it would take [to reach his goals], and he was not fazed,” White said. “His work ethic is one that I have yet to see rivaled in many students.”

“We often have intelligent students [like Carroll] who come here, yet they have no roadmap to navigate the processes or anyone to encourage them when they hit tough times. Carroll sought out mentorship and it paid off,” he said.

“I only served as a guide to help along the way, and I do believe that many more students must seek out mentorship,” he said.

White added that one of the most humorous conversations he and Bentley ever had was after Bentley had “the talk” with Madison and told White that “it went over like a rock.”

“But the most important part is that his commitment as a single parent was so strong, as was his desire that his daughter be equipped to deal with what might come her way regardless of how embarrassed he was,” White said. “He was determined to do it for the love of his daughter.”

“In my humble opinion, Carroll is the living embodiment of the mission of land grant institutions,” White said. “Here’s a guy who had all the talent and ability in the world and the University of Arkansas helped him to achieve his ultimate dream of attending medical school.”

“I’m so proud of Carroll. Seeing his growth as a student, father, and an all-around good person who wants to give back to where they came from continues to warm my heart,” White added. “I know he will do well in medical school, there is no doubt about that.”

While medical school is on the horizon next for Bentley, people who don’t know him as well as White, Lamm or Roggio have been asking him if he really knows what he’s about to get himself into.

“Even though I know it’s going to be a lot of work, the past six years have been a lot of work,” he said. “Even now I’m on campus five days a week from the morning until the late afternoon. I’ve been working almost full time, shadowing, and studying for the MCAT.”

“Right now, I have Saturdays off, so I actually have a regular day off,” he said. “There have been many semesters I didn’t even have a day off. Also, I’m not going to be doing as many extracurriculars as I have.”

The only aspect of medical school that is stressing Bentley out right now is the fact that to attend, he won’t be able to work.

“This will be the first time in my life I’m not working, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. But I’m applying to their three-year program to complete medical school in three years instead of four,” he said.

The accelerated program would have Bentley in class half the day and then in clinic the other half. While there was a time in his life he might have thought he wouldn’t be able to accomplish this, Bentley now knows better.

He has learned to believe in himself and knows that “no one will ever expect more out of my performance than myself in anything that I do.”

Bentley is especially looking forward to the White Coat Ceremony that UAMS will be hosting on August 5. During this rite of passage for first-year medical students, each student typically puts on their first white coat, and recites the Hippocratic Oath to mark their commitment to the medical profession.

“I’m super excited for graduation,” Bentley said. “But I might be even more excited for the White Coat Ceremony. I’m super stoked.”

And now that Madison’s older, Bentley said that in addition to medical school, his job is to continue to encourage her as she figures her own journey out.

“She hasn’t had the traditional childhood,” Bentley said, adding that Madison has been just as strong as he has been, especially during the last six years when the pair kept each other going no matter what.

If there’s anything he hopes he’s taught her, it’s that “effort will always be the number one thing” and “effort is something that will push success.”

Bentley said he hopes Madison will take the time to “decide what she likes, and really figure herself out. I try to guide her, and we consistently have conversations where I tell her ‘As long as you’re learning you and learning your journey, I’m happy.’”

At age 19 now herself and thinking on her father’s journey, Madison said “it will all be worth it in the end.”

“It’s been really nice to see my dad go back to school. I can tell he’s really happy,” she said. “Seeing him pursue his dream has been eye opening for me. My dad is very smart and when he sets a goal for himself, he will always finish his goal.”

“My dad is a true hero,” Madison said. “Watching him go from a freshman in college to now graduating and going to med school has made me realize how hard he works in all he does.”

As Bentley and Madison celebrate his graduation this spring and look toward the future, she wanted to make sure he knew one thing – “Dad, I am so, so, so proud of you!”

“You’re the best and I wouldn’t wish for a better dad. Thank you for showing me that hard work does pay off,” she said. “You always told me ‘A little bit of effort is all it takes’ and I didn’t believe you. But now seeing your dreams come true has made me believe that. I love you.”