Parents often hear the advice that children are watching what they do for role models to follow. For Jody Ingle of Middletown, a decision to return to school at Miami University Regionals 15 years ago inspired her children to follow her example and choose Miami University when they looked to earn their own degrees.

Last spring, Ingle’s daughter, Bailey Ingle, graduated from Miami with her bachelor’s degree in Nursing. At the same time, her son, Michael Ingle, graduated from Miami's Early College Academy (ECA) through Madison High School with his associate degree. He now plans to start working on his bachelor’s degree in Music Education at the Oxford campus in the fall.

“They grew up listening to how wonderful my experiences were,” Jody said. “I never told them they had to go to Miami, but I would have been surprised if they had chosen not to.”

Becoming part of the Miami family

Jody admits she did not set out to start a family tradition that included Miami. In fact, her own education at the university was started and stopped more than once, and she has never completed a degree.

“I was never encouraged to dream of higher education,” she said of her high school experience more than 30 years ago. “I really didn’t understand all that (college) would entail.

“But when I first set foot on the Middletown campus (in 1988), I felt excited and like I belonged there,” she said. “It’s a feeling that continues to this day.”

Like many young adults, Jody said she was not prepared for college after high school and did not have a real understanding of what she wanted to do with her education at that moment in time. She left after her second semester.

Life moved on. She got married and found a job she liked working with an insurance company. But the idea of earning her degree never fully left her mind, and she went back briefly in the early 1990s. But once again, life changed her plans, and she dropped out after only a couple of semesters.

In 2011, she returned for a third time. This time she was a young mother to several impressionable children. They occasionally visited campus with her. Those memories proved to be powerful in helping to shape their view of their own futures.

This time around, Jody said she was more focused on what she really wanted to do with her degree, and she chose to study something she loved, creative writing. She got involved in campus organizations and even became vice president of student government. This meant more campus visits, often with her kids along for the ride.

Bailey remembers those excursions well.

“We spent a lot of time on campus when my mom was there for events and such,” she recalled. “Those were some really fond memories. Just being there as a kid with my mom, I really loved it.”

While Jody was forced to leave her dreams of a degree behind again due to unforeseen health complications, her children saw her example and started making their own plans.

Bailey Ingle graduated with her Nursing degree in 2025.

Next generation charts future that includes a Miami degree

Like her mom, Bailey also went through a period after high school trying to figure out what she really wanted in a career. She tried technical school and a few different jobs. Then her fiancé, a paramedic, introduced her to the medical field, and she was fascinated.

“I loved it and wanted to be a part of it, too,” she said.

She felt ready to commit herself to the next steps in her education journey because she now had a firm goal: to become a nurse. She also knew she wanted to pursue her nursing degree at Miami after all the memories from her childhood visits with her mom.

“Being on the Middletown campus gave me that same feeling I remember from when my mom was there,” she said. “When (the Nursing Department) moved to the Hamilton campus, it was a little more intimidating. But I liked all my fellow nursing students and the faculty were so supportive. That made it easier.”

She also followed in her mom’s footsteps by getting involved in student government, even serving as the vice president — the same role her mom held. She said it was a great way to build her skills and her resumé for her future in nursing.

Bailey said she didn’t miss not living on campus. For her, living at home, or eventually with her fiancé, saved money, and allowed her to work and live a lifestyle she was already comfortable and established in.

Michael Ingle, participated in Miami's Early College Academy (ECA) and is now a junior Music Education major on the Oxford campus.

Meanwhile, Michael was deciding on his own future. He had the advantage of being the first in the family who was able to participate in Miami's Early College Academy, which his high school, Madison, participated in. ECA allows students from participating high schools to earn an associate degree at the same time as their high school diploma at no cost.

Like his sister, Michael said his choice was partly influenced by his mom’s fond memories of Miami Regionals.

“Knowing she had liked it so much helped me feel more comfortable,” he said. “Miami has always been in our life in some way, so it felt pretty natural.”

He started at the Oxford campus as a junior this fall, saving valuable time and expense in earning his bachelor’s degree. He also earned a Bridges scholarship that will cover a significant portion of his tuition expenses.

Unlike his sister, Michael said he is looking forward to living on campus and enjoying the life of a resident student.

“I want to be where the action is,” he said. “I want to be able to walk to everything and live with my friends. I want the college experience.”

In a visit to the Oxford campus with the Bridges program, Michael said he was impressed with the welcoming atmosphere.

“I met the percussion professor for the pep band and some other people in the music department,” he said. “They treated me like I’d been there for years. I felt comfortable right away.”

His mom remembers his description of the visit afterward: “He fell in love with the whole scene — the architecture, the trees, the vibe from everyone there. He was hooked.” 

New tradition starting

Jody said she and her husband, Mike, are overflowing with pride at their children’s accomplishments.

She recalled her emotion at Bailey’s pinning ceremony in the Nursing program: “Walking on stage with her and her dad and having the honor of pinning her will be one of the most cherished memories my husband and I will ever have,” she said. “The pride her dad and I felt was immense.