Story: Lisa Sollie | Photo: Cody Ingram
T.J. Runyon has always been fascinated by human behavior. His journey has taken him from studying fossils alongside James Lamb at the University of West Alabama’s Black Belt Museum to now earning an undergraduate degree in psychology during Fall 2025 commencement exercises. Next up for the new graduate is a master’s program in clinical mental health counseling. Through it all, Runyon has been driven by a deep desire to help others that he says UWA helped him clarify and pursue.
Runyon discovered UWA during one of his life’s greatest challenges. After a blood cancer diagnosis in 2016 left him with ample time to read, his love for science resurfaced, especially his early interest in paleontology.
“I was a big science nerd growing up until I discovered sports in the fourth grade and never looked back,” he said. “I even studied exercise science in college.”
Family challenges later led him to leave school and enter the work force. While looking for ways to stay connected to paleontology, he met Lamb at UWA’s Black Belt Museum. There, he joined experts in the field for digs and spent countless hours working and spending time at the Museum.
“I really wanted to study paleontology. More specifically, I was interested in inferring behavior from the fossil record,” Runyon said.
But as a non-traditional student who needed to work full-time, he soon realized that path wasn’t feasible. Exploring other UWA programs that aligned with his interests, Runyon chose to study psychology—and after only two online classes, he fell in love with the field.
He said that completing coursework online required unique discipline, and he feels far more certain about his goals now than when he first entered college at 20. “At 35, I’m more mature and can handle the load and responsibility better. And at UWA, it felt like my experience was more blended. I came to campus fairly often, attending sporting events, met routinely with my professors—even had lunch with them a time or two.”
Runyon now plans to enroll in UWA’s Clinical Mental Health Counseling program, with the long-term goal of becoming a psychoanalyst.
“I’m also going to apply for a couple of mentorships and fellowships at psychoanalytic training institutes to supplement my graduate instruction,” he said. “I’ll get my license and then spend another three to five years doing psychoanalytic training.”
During his time at UWA, Runyon also co-authored a paper with Dr. Alexandra Zidenberg of the University of Montreal, published in the Journal of Psychology and Sexuality.
He is grateful for his opportunities at UWA and the supportive faculty, particularly Dr. Marti Herlong, an assistant professor of psychology. “She’s been very influential in my journey, and a great mentor who guided me along the way,” he said. “There really is something about this place, and I’m excited to take my next step here.”