helbyville senior Tara McCoy’s life changed forever before she could barely form a sentence.
She may not have been able to put what had happened to her family into words at the tender age of 18 months, but it was clear even then divorce had separated her perfect nuclear family.
She said dealing with her parents’ divorce was hard, but the end of her own marriage compelled her to examine how that change affected her life over 20 years later.
McCoy was born in Louisville where she spent most of her time with her older sister and her hard-working single mom.
McCoy’s mother, Jackie Corbit, said McCoy was always a delightful child who could adjust to any situation, but she knew the divorce was hard on her.
“I think it was harder on her than my older child,” she said. “It made her grow a stronger attachment to me.”
By age 12, McCoy had gotten accustomed to adjusting – her mother remarried and in a year they left Louisville for Shelbyville.
After high school, McCoy came to Western unsure of what she wanted to do. She tried teaching, accounting and business. She ultimately decided to major in marketing.
In between her shifts in majors, she took a year off to get married in Greeley, Colo. in 2000.
“At first it was really scary – I was leaving behind everyone I’d ever known,” she said. “Leaving school was hard, but it was nice to see another part of the United States.”
McCoy said she was getting home sick, so they decided to move back to Bowling Green.
McCoy continued with school, but her marriage ended in 2003.
“He had a good job and now I had to be on my own again,” McCoy said. “I found myself relying on him too much.”
She said her divorce was probably for the best, but she still has doubts.
“Maybe if my family would have stayed together, things would have been different,” she said.
McCoy was able to gain independence from the divorce, but she said breaking up after so long made it harder.
“I kind of feel like I lost a part of my life,” she said. “I spent most of my time with him instead of with my friends.”
McCoy said she had to re-adjust to college life as a single person, which meant balancing her job as an office associate at E.W. James and taking classes at Western.
McCoy said she will graduate in May and already has a job at the corporate office of Fruit of the Loom.
She doesn’t plan on marrying again, but she said it was all a part of her personal growth.
“I’ve had to learn the hard way, but I think I’ve learned a lot about being a better person.”
Reach Stephanie Toone at features@wkuherald.com.
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