A long road

A Long Road . . .

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Long Road

I began my university-level education at Northwestern University, in Evanston, Illinois - in Electrical Engineering. Things happen - I dropped out in my sophomore year to help put my husband through medical school. It didn't get to be my turn again for almost thirty years.

In 1987, with my family all raised, I was remarried and living in Concord, NH - my husband, Larry, introduced me to New Hampshire College. January 1988, I enrolled in the MIS degree program as a Continuing Education student. For the next three years I went to school most Monday and Wednesday evenings, from 5:30 to 10:00 pm.

Larry was the manager of cargo sales and services for Eastern Airlines at Logan International Airport in Boston, MA. His 33-year career with Eastern came to an abrupt and devastating end when the airline ceased all operations at midnight, January 18, 1991. Thousands of experienced airline employees were dumped into the market. There were not a lot of openings for airline industry middle managers 50 years old. We had to pack up our lives, lease out our home in Concord, and head back to the family farm in Michigan. I had to withdraw from my capstone course at NHC.

In the fall of 1997, my daughter, Dayna, finished her BS at NHC. On her visit home to the Michigan family farm, she told me about NHC's new Distance Ed program. I emailed the college and got the affirmative answer I hoped for - Yes, I could complete my degree online. My original degree program no longer existed, so my advisor guided me into the BUS-CIS program. We calculated the credits I needed for graduation - 44. Wow! I could finish in one year. My first DE term was May-June 1998, and I looked forward to having my degree the following spring.

It was not to be -
there were two required courses not yet offered online: Public Speaking and Strategic Management. I took the proactive stance that there must be some way to overcome this problem. I am a teacher of adults - an instructor in the Extended Education Services of Northwestern Michigan College - and sometimes adjunct faculty on the credit side of the college (when the need for an instructor with my knowledge overcame the shortfall in my credentials). So, I do public speaking just about every day.

As things turned out, eventually, the Dean reviewed a videotape of my classroom work and waived the Public Speaking requirement. I found a matching course offered by another college for the Strategic Management requirement, and got permission to take that course for credit. Before they could accommodate me, though, my sister and mother were in a serious car crash - my next several months were dedicated to their healing. Finally, NHC had the Strategic Management course online in January 2001, and I was invited to enroll. Hallelujah!

Having worked long and hard for this degree, overcoming obstacle after obstacle, I was determined to make the trip to Manchester, NH for my graduation. In fact, my whole family made the trip - mother, father, sister, husband, and dear friend. We rented a motor home for a week, drove to New Hampshire and parked the rig at our kids' home, and rented a car for getting around.

The grin you see on my face in the graduation photos on this site has not disappeared yet. I am one happy woman! As long as I draw breath, I have a future.

Never, never give up!