"Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it." German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goeth
I thought I could earn a college degree and the action of applying to Granite State College, intermingled with wonderfully helpful people I met at the college, brought the magic of so many learning experiences. These experiences, in turn, graced me with the power to reach for even higher goals.
As an adult learner enrolling in adult school programs, especially at Granite State College (once known as College for Lifelong Learning), you have a bit of an edge over the traditional college student. You come with more "life experience" which is a huge advantage because college, after all, is more than just book learning - it is life learning and functions as a window into the way the world outside college works. Adult learners of a certain age more than likely have years of workplace experience, not to mention parental experience. They know how to multitask, and have been exposed to a wider variety of social situations. Basically, the older adult learner comes with a bit of a foundation. All that the adult learner needs is a healthy dose of self confidence.
On that foundation, the "magic of the possible" blossoms, opening up unlimited opportunities for life-enriching experiences. At Granite State College where there is considerable latitude regarding independent learning contracts, taking courses from other University of New Hampshire System institutions as well as earning credits for one's life experiences, I found myself enjoying a wide variety of experiences.
Through an independent learning contract, I worked as an intern at NHPR's The Exchange hosted by Laura Knoy, immersing myself in the behind-the-scenes mechanics of how a radio program is crafted. The capstone of this experience was assisting with the production of a segment on children's poet Shel Silverstein, author of Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light In the Attic, who died shortly before my intership ended. My meager contribution to the production of that segment earned me a brief mention at the end of the program. No "A" could match the feeling of accomplishment I experienced listening to that segment of the show.
Through my years of study, the magic continued. The professor of a UNH-M film class I took encouraged me to submit one of my papers, The Simpsons: A Fairy Tale, to DePauw University's undergraduate Honors Conference for consideration. The delight, the thrill of finding the fat acceptance envelope in the mailbox one February afternoon was like nothing like I had felt before.
Attending the DePauw conference introduced me to another world - that of academics from the teacher's side of the educational equation. Mentors were assigned to shepherd us through the weekend's activities. Well known guest speakers - Tony Kushner, author of the play Angels in America and Dr. George Gerbner, professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, lectured. Best of all was meeting like minded students who shared similar hopes and dreams for their futures. As if I needed a sign that I was headed in the right direction, I came upon this street sign while wandering around DePauw's campus -
The magic, apparently, wasn't going to stop.
I thought I could earn a college degree and the action of applying to Granite State College, intermingled with wonderfully helpful people I met at the college, brought the magic of so many learning experiences. These experiences, in turn, graced me with the power to reach for even higher goals.
As an adult learner enrolling in adult school programs, especially at Granite State College (once known as College for Lifelong Learning), you have a bit of an edge over the traditional college student. You come with more "life experience" which is a huge advantage because college, after all, is more than just book learning - it is life learning and functions as a window into the way the world outside college works. Adult learners of a certain age more than likely have years of workplace experience, not to mention parental experience. They know how to multitask, and have been exposed to a wider variety of social situations. Basically, the older adult learner comes with a bit of a foundation. All that the adult learner needs is a healthy dose of self confidence.
On that foundation, the "magic of the possible" blossoms, opening up unlimited opportunities for life-enriching experiences. At Granite State College where there is considerable latitude regarding independent learning contracts, taking courses from other University of New Hampshire System institutions as well as earning credits for one's life experiences, I found myself enjoying a wide variety of experiences.
Through an independent learning contract, I worked as an intern at NHPR's The Exchange hosted by Laura Knoy, immersing myself in the behind-the-scenes mechanics of how a radio program is crafted. The capstone of this experience was assisting with the production of a segment on children's poet Shel Silverstein, author of Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light In the Attic, who died shortly before my intership ended. My meager contribution to the production of that segment earned me a brief mention at the end of the program. No "A" could match the feeling of accomplishment I experienced listening to that segment of the show.
Through my years of study, the magic continued. The professor of a UNH-M film class I took encouraged me to submit one of my papers, The Simpsons: A Fairy Tale, to DePauw University's undergraduate Honors Conference for consideration. The delight, the thrill of finding the fat acceptance envelope in the mailbox one February afternoon was like nothing like I had felt before.
Attending the DePauw conference introduced me to another world - that of academics from the teacher's side of the educational equation. Mentors were assigned to shepherd us through the weekend's activities. Well known guest speakers - Tony Kushner, author of the play Angels in America and Dr. George Gerbner, professor at the Annenberg School for Communication, lectured. Best of all was meeting like minded students who shared similar hopes and dreams for their futures. As if I needed a sign that I was headed in the right direction, I came upon this street sign while wandering around DePauw's campus -
The magic, apparently, wasn't going to stop.
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