Jeremiah Oatman Finds His Voice at Aims

He began his associate degree journey at Aims Community College last fall, focusing on psychology and English, both of which align with his goals of becoming an author and mental health advocate. 

With higher education, he’s gaining momentum in the classroom and beyond. 

Connection Changes Everything

Jeremiah’s journey is defined not by obstacles, but by what he’s chosen to build beyond them. 

Living with schizoaffective disorder, a duality of bipolar and schizophrenia, Jeremiah has spent much of his life learning how to navigate challenges that many people never see. 

One of the things that has brought him comfort and grounding over the years is building with Lego bricks. When he was younger, he competed in Lego competitions and was a member of the online Lego community. “Lego means a lot to me,” he said. “I have been building since I was a toddler. I have an extensive collection. Some of his favorite themes are medieval castles and Star Wars-related creations. “My building patterns reflect my moods.”  Each structure offered a sense of control, creativity, and calm, helping him navigate internal struggles and maintain balance when life felt overwhelming.

From an early age, he carried a deep sense of awareness and complexity. That shaped how he experienced the world and himself.

A moment came in his forties when Jeremiah made a powerful decision about his future. “I reached a point where all I could say was no more,” he said. “No more darkness. No more chains. I wanted to be someone, starting today.” 

Jeremiah’s path forward first took shape at Frontier House, a place recommended by his therapist. The Frontier House is a Greeley-based clubhouse focused on helping individuals rebuild confidence, connection and purpose. The clubhouse centers on community and bringing people together to support one another while working toward personal, educational and career goals. 

“Through the clubhouse, I discovered my first love: people,” Jeremiah said. “There, I found a place where I belong.” The stories from others inspired him. “Being around people who were doing something with their lives made me want to do something with mine,” he said.

Jeremiah then fully committed to school. “I thought, why don’t I get my GED?” he said, “and then I thought, why do I stop there?” That decision marked the start of something bigger. After earning his GED in 2023, Jeremiah looked ahead to college and his goals. 

With that support behind him, Jeremiah began to see new possibilities at Aims. After only a few months of enrollment, he realized it's a place where he can grow, connect and turn his ambitions into action.

“Aims gives me structure. It gives me goals. It makes me feel like I’m moving forward.”

A strong sense of belonging matches that sense of progress. “The people at Aims are my kind of people,” Jeremiah said. “The energy of the students and instructors fills my heart.”

At both Frontier House and Aims, he found something that had been missing for much of his life, a sense of connection and belonging. “I’ve realized I’m not alone, not like I used to be,” he said.

Emerging as an Author and Advocate

Through education, Jeremiah is building the future he envisions. 

His studies in psychology deepen his understanding of people. While sharpening his writing and composition skills, he strengthened his ability to communicate ideas clearly and creatively.

“Psychology helps me understand people,” he said. “And writing helps me explain it.”

That combination is at the core of his ambitions. Jeremiah plans to be someone who uses his voice to connect with others and share new perspectives. “I want to be a writer, a philosopher. I strive to be someone who shares ideas that make people think,” he said.

He’s already putting that into practice. Since he joined the Frontier House, he has been keeping journals and writing. “I have hundreds of selections that I have written.” Jeremiah writes regularly and contributes to publications, including articles to the Frontier House Newsletter.

Jeremiah says that he is a big fan of poetry.  “I can communicate with writing things that I could not have expressed otherwise,” he said. In one of his poems, he wrote about fear: “Life can sink you like a rock or skip you like a stone. Bravery is facing your fears. Foolishness is facing them alone.” 

He has shared his writing in front of live audiences, including a recent reading in Greeley with the Black Box Arts Collective. “It felt powerful to stand up there and just be heard,” he said.

“Words are like magic to me.”

Writing has always been central to who he is. “Everywhere I go, I’m typing notes. I just love to write. I’m a writer,” he said. “I really love to write. It helps to bridge the distances that would otherwise separate us.” 

This desire to communicate also provides insight into his mental health advocacy, too. Jeremiah speaks openly about his mental health as part of his story and a source of purpose. It informs his writing, his goals and his desire to connect. “I want to show what’s possible,” he said.

Jeremiah’s interest in psychology is deeply personal and purposeful. His experiences have given him a perspective on the mental health system, one that fuels his desire to make a difference for others walking a similar path. Instead of looking back, he’s focused on what he can build moving forward. 

After navigating mental health for much of his life, he brings a perspective shaped not just by study, but by experience. Those early challenges, moments of uncertainty and years of searching for understanding now drive his desire to help others find clarity and support. “We spend so much of our lives looking for a reason,” he said. “I have so many questions and I will not take no for an answer.”

Through his psychology coursework, he’s gaining the tools to understand how people think, feel and respond to the world around them. Delving into these insights, he hopes to use them to support others facing mental health challenges.

Jeremiah wants to help people feel seen, heard and supported. He knows how difficult it can be to find your way, and he wants to make that path a little clearer for others. For him, this isn’t just about a career; it’s about using what he’s learned to help people move forward. 

Looking Ahead with Purpose

Jeremiah is already forging ahead, turning his progress at Aims into a path toward his future. Experiences inside and outside of the classroom are helping shape his long-term goals. “Every day, I’m working toward something,” Jeremiah said. “And that means everything to me.”

He plans to finish his associate degree and Aims and transfer to the University of Northern Colorado. 

His long-term vision is clear, and he’s already on his way forward. “Sometimes what looks like the end is really the beginning,” he said. 

For Jeremiah, that beginning is now and he’s making the most of it.