By Allison Conner
Published 12:00 pm on April 18, 2026
Anessa DeGroat rebuilt her life in recovery while developing strength and heightened self-awareness to sustain it. Now, the 2025 Bemidji State University alumna is helping others reach that same turning point.
“I saw it as the perfect opportunity and stepped in, knowing my lived experiences shaped who I am today,” DeGroat said. “Now I want to encourage others, to show them what’s possible and inspire them to believe in themselves, especially in fields like psychology and addiction where that perspective matters.”
DeGroat graduated from BSU with a bachelor’s degree in psychology as a non-traditional student. She’s now working toward licensure as an alcohol and drug counselor, and she is also a certified peer recovery specialist. DeGroat recently interned with a telehealth counseling service while raising nine children at home in Wadena and maintaining years of sobriety herself.
Her career goal is to support parents navigating addiction and help reunite families. Long term, she hopes to work within the Indian Child Welfare Act system as a caseworker, a system she once navigated herself.
“I really want to help these families get their kids back and get on the right path,” she said.
Finding her path
DeGroat’s journey to graduation was not typical.
She became a mother at 15 and struggled with substance use. Before entering treatment in 2018, she gave her mother joint custody of her oldest child. At the time, one of her sons had been placed through ICWA, and one of her daughters had been diagnosed with leukemia just before her sixth birthday.
The battles the children were facing became DeGroat's turning point from a substance use disorder and led her to check in to a treatment facility.
DeGroat stayed longer than required, not because she had to, but because she wanted to be sure she would not relapse.
“I’ve seen how many people say they’ve been in treatment so many times. I didn’t want that for me,” she said. “I really wanted my first treatment experience to be my last.”
She has been sober ever since.
When she left treatment, there wasn’t a clear plan. She had been out of school for seven years. But with encouragement from her husband, she decided to pursue her GED and passed all four exams quickly. It gave her confidence and proof that she could keep going. From there, she enrolled in college.
“There were so many moments where I felt like I couldn’t keep going,” DeGroat said. “But my husband was incredibly supportive. He’d step in with the kids and tell me to focus on school, reminding me that in our household, we don’t quit. That support made all the difference and kept me moving forward.”
‘Fields where perspective matters’
DeGroat’s higher education career began at White Earth Tribal College, where she graduated in 2022. She then continued through Bemidji State’s online psychology program while raising her family and managing coursework from home. Along with receiving various scholarships, including BSU’s InPsyT program and the Folds of Honor scholarship for her husband’s veteran status, all of which helped alleviate financial strain.
One BSU course in particular altered her perspective about her struggle.
“The Chemistry of Drugs class really opened my eyes to the actual impact my drug of choice had on me,” she said. “It helped me feel less shame about what I went through and the choices I made. I thought I didn’t need help because I could stop for a while, a month, four months, even six months, and I felt like I was functioning. But I couldn’t fully quit on my own. Learning what was happening in my body and brain made everything make a lot more sense. It was an ‘aha’ moment.”
DeGroat didn’t have it all figured out at first, but she stayed with it and developed life skills through education that contribute to her rehabilitation. Over time, she built systems that worked.
“At tribal college, I struggled. I didn’t know how to manage my time and was always doing assignments at the last minute,” she said. “Over time, I built a routine, working a few days ahead so I wouldn’t feel so overwhelmed. I kept telling myself, ‘One assignment at a time.’ Balancing school in a household of 10, with kids and constant responsibilities, wasn’t easy. It’s still a challenge even in my internship. But I’m at the end now, and I’m really excited.”
DeGroat completed her required hours as an intern with Partners Behavioral Healthcare in March and is one step closer to receiving her LADC license. The uncertainty many people feel when they begin healing is something she understands firsthand, and she's excited to put that familiarity to good use.
“I don’t think the choices I made were good, but they’ve given me perspective,” she said. “As someone who was once a client, it meant everything to have a counselor in recovery, someone who truly understood and could relate. I’ve seen how powerful it is when people know you’ve been through something and can see where you are now. It gives them hope. That’s what I want to do as a counselor, spread hope and inspiration.”
She paused, then added the belief that guides her work:
“It’s never too late, and you’re never too far gone. No matter your age or how long you’ve been struggling, you can choose to change your life.”
