Adult College Education

One of the most valuable things I got out of attending classes at Granite State College was from my fellow class mates. They ranged widely in age and background from me and each other. At both my night college classes and my weekend college classes, I was surrounded by a plethora of experience, knowledge, and unique perspectives in addition to what the instructor also offered.

I was able to give peer feedback to a lively, aspiring writer in his 60's who extended his own constructive feedback to me with grace, compassion, and wisdom attained from his life's journey as a middle school teacher, father, husband, and grandfather. I was given the opportunity to support a recent high school graduate majoring in Psychology who was even more scared and unsure about college life than I was. And I found support, myself, from others like me-- tired, single moms working hard all day long before attending part time evening college classes.

I remember sitting in the classrooms and looking around me and being very grateful for this exposure to people from all these different walks of life. And these people were still basically aiming for the same goal I was-- a quality education to fulfill my love for lifelong learning and the golden bonus of a continuing education degree at the end of it all as a New Hampshire graduate. Even though we were vastly different from each other we also had at least that one fundamental dream in common. And I stopped regretting not being able to go to college straight out of high school as I once envisioned, because I wouldn't have been able to experience all of those wonderful voices, young and old, that were only available to me through adult education courses at Granite State College.

I am thankful for the health and happiness of my family...
I am thankful for my home...
I am thankful for my job...
I am thankful to those that serve for our country...
I am thankful for my education...

What are you thankful for?

Five years ago before I began my adult college education I was not sure either of my daughters were even going to graduate from high school.  Today my oldest is a full time adult college student striving to make the honor roll in her freshman year, my youngest has just graduated from Cosmetology school and I am working on my MBA degree.



It took me 25 years after high school to return and earn my adult college degree.  It took my oldest daughter 5 years to return to school and my youngest two years.  We are all ready at different times in our lives.  When you are ready to continue your education, Granite State College will be ready to lead you along your journey.  

I am thankful for the guidance, support and opportunities GSC offered me in my adult college program.  I am thankful I have in turn been able to offer my children guidance, support and opportunities in their academic pursuits.

Yes, I am a Grammy once again. A little girl entered the world at 7:46pm weighing in at seven pounds even. She was embraced by her daddy and mommy at time of arrival.  Oh what a joy, oh what a delight and blessing from above. My young son and his wife wanted to be surprised and never found out the sex of their baby. I have always thought it is the one thing in life that should be a surprise. After all, you don't put in an order for a Boy or Girl, you get what you are suppose to have and really folks, we are not sending them back!!  I am glad they waited and I know that surprise was wonderful and one they will never forget.

I remember one surprise I got when I received an A on a Business Statistic test I took while attending Granite State College when I was attempting to get my adult education degree.  It was such a nice surprise though as that class kicked my butt everyday I was in it. It was one of my hardest classes throughout my education but I did it, I made it through and live to tell about it. 

So whether it be babies or grades, surprises are a nice part of life. I am seriously thinking about going back to school and getting my Master of Science Project Management degree. At work I see how project management is a huge part of big businesses these days and I enjoyed school so much, this just may be my next goal.  My children will be surprised again if Mom goes back to school.  Oh well, surprises are good!!

I was so delighted when I went to my Dad's harmonica group gathering. He has played the harmonica for years; I think he said, that he "has played since he was around ten years old." He still has the first one he ever played. He  taught me how to play at a young age also. I can remember driving to Florida when I was just a child and my dad would have the holder strapped around his neck and would playing songs throughout the long drive.  Since we really didn't listen to the radio, we had better learn how to play the harmonica or the spoons.  My choice was the harmonica with the first song being You Are My Sunshine.  It was a good night with all his friends. These are all older folks as my dad just turned 90 on Sunday and his friend is 92, who calls my dad young!!

Life is good being back in Michigan. I think dad enjoys me being around and sharing some time with him.  Time is all we have; time to grow, learn, enjoy and have fun.  I had so much fun going to the Manchester NH college campus and meeting new friends at Granite State College. We would laugh about our classes at times, about your essays about each other really, we were all on the same boat, we wanted our degrees and we were going forward to get it. 

Those days in New Hampshire were happy days and happy memories, same as days with my dad.  So if you are thinking school and getting an adult education degree is all work, think again and just do it!!

In a recent class for the early childhood education major at GSC's Rochester NH college campus, we were talking about family strengths. One of those strengths revolved around encouragement and setting a good example. If parents are not only telling children that they care about how they do in school, but are also demonstrating the importance of school by taking a course they might need for work, or starting a new degree in an area that you have always been interested in is the prime way to set the example and encourage your children to value education. Consider taking courses in early childhood for your Early Childhood Certification, or maybe courses in project management, towards a Masters Degree in Project Management, or special education teacher certification. Try showing how much you value education, by getting involved yourself in either online adult education classes or face-to-face courses. Your children will learn from your example.

I woke up this morning with just the cutest little picture I could ever imagine on my cell phone. It was from my daughter-in-law and it was my grandson smile.  There he was, sitting at a desk and learning how to write his name. Of course it is something we all had to learn when we were growing up; it is a milestone in every ones life.  But for my son and his wife to see Owen try to make an O, it was amazing. They were thrilled and excited to see him learn and grow.
He sits and glares at the pencil or crayon with wonder. I wonder what is going on in his little head as everyone stands around him cheering him on.  I can embrace that "cheering on thing." I had many, many friends cheering me on as I went to Granite State College to pursue my adult education diploma.  I would cart my books to work in my backpack only to study on breaks and at lunch. They all thought I was so brave to be going back to school at 50 years old. All I could think about was my goal: to get that degree.  My grandson maybe is thinking about making that big O as he sits there at his wee desk.

Learning is so good for your brain, so good for your soul and such a good example to your family.  As you all know, I have four. Not all of mine have their degrees yet but I am hoping they will continue their education someday as well.  I am hoping, that knowing Mom did it, they can do it too. 

If you are at that point where you really want to do it, really want to get that adult college degree, just pick yourself up off the couch and do it.  I am a firm believer that one can do anything they want to as long as they want to do it bad enough.  I am living proof and very proud and happy I did.

I can't wait to see Owen make his big O all by himself.

The "Public Good" of higher education can only truly be achieved when it is accessible to the masses. As tuition increases across the country continue to outpace inflation and public funding (including financial aid) decreases, higher education begins to become unobtainable for more and more Americans. In fact, the U.S. has slipped dramatically relative to higher education trends around the globe and it is only logical that this will ultimately translate into a loss in comparative advantage and competitiveness. However, non-traditional pathways do exist that strive to keep tuition affordable and access to a quality education achievable for students who are able to find them. As a public institution with the University System of New Hampshire, it is important that Granite State College provide affordable access to the residents of New Hampshire and the region.

Granite State College was recently identified as a "Best Buy" through GetEducated.com for having the lowest bachelor tuition rate in New Hampshire and one of the twenty lowest accredited bachelor tuition rates in the nation. Granite State accomplishes this efficiency by focusing on teaching and learning rather than research or a residential experience. Our classes are taught largely by practicing professionals who can put theory to practice, and more than half our students attend classes online for adults. By offering every program online, including our graduate program, we minimize infrastructure costs and reach more students.

Granite State also maximizes affordability by being transfer friendly and by having a sophisticated system of prior learning assessment. In addition, accessing what financial aid is available is paramount to the ability of many students to attend. Granite State College is unique in our scheduling and calendar in that it is possible for a student to take one course at a time (using our 6-week hybrid model) and be eligible for full-time financial aid! Students may also be eligible for full-time financial aid in any one of our Fast Track programs. 

So while the cost of higher education continues to outpace the ability of many students to pay, it is important that colleges such as Granite State College, remain committed to access to quality higher education through diligent cost containment; delivery and schedule innovation; online technology; and by focusing on our core mission of teaching and learning. 

It's been a year since I received my associates in general studies from Granite State College. I can't believe the year has gone by so fast. After taking some time off, I'm ready to get back in the saddle again and dive back into my education. I'm currently enrolled in a Literature and Ideas course, and a Psychology course at the Conway NH college campus. Although it's a bit hard getting used to doing homework again, I'm learning some really great things. Not only just about the courses I'm taking, but about the world around me.
  
I'm really looking forward to some neat projects coming up in the next few weeks in my adult college classes that will help give me good hands on experience of what I'm learning, and how to apply it to my life. I can't wait to see what this semester has in store for me :)

Who would have ever thought that we can see each other from miles away and talk to each other without any lines??  Alexander Graham Bell didn't when he first invented the Telegraph system. Really nothing is really like the phone Mr. Bell invented. The dial up, wall hanging phone is pretty much obsolete. Kids now a days don't know what it is like to dial a number on a wall phone. They have grown up with cell phones and maybe a portable land-line where you can walk around and talk. The years of standing in a 3x3 spot in the kitchen are long gone.

My son and daughter in law are in the Navy, over in Norfolk with their little son.  I am so excited to be able to talk to him a couple times a week. It is the next best thing to being there.  They will soon have another little baby and to be able to see that new little soul is going to be wonderful.  I got online and found the site to download it. When I started my adult college education I never would have thought that the skills I learned in college would help me in everyday life, but it did. I knew where to find the volume control, microphone controls etc. That just shows you that learning needs to be a constant in our lives.  I hope my children learn something new every day and that my grandson embraces new knowledge. I can't wait to talk to him again...Life and change are both wonderful!!

Arts/Eats and Beats is going on in Royal Oak, Michigan.  It is a party with an outdoor venue, featuring artists and musicians from all over the US.  Local restaurants opened their doors with a wide variety of foods to enjoy along the streets.  There were carnival rides for the little ones and beer for the adults.  All in all, it is a good place to go this weekend.  We walked the streets and then went to the stages to hear the music.  A young band that is up-and-coming was there. Maybe you have heard of the Dale Earnhardt Jr.Jr....I learned how they started out and got permission to use the real Dale Earnhardt's name for their band.  They are pretty good and had a wide selection of music.

As I learned about their band, I learned also about this great event that happens every year in in the Detroit metro area.  It was fun. 

It is the holiday weekend, lets all be safe. If you are in school at Granite State College, enjoy the break and relax.  If you are thinking about starting back to get your adult education degree, then it is the weekend to enjoy and not worry about homework, because that will come.  Have a great weekend and be safe!!!!!!

Good Morning fans and friends,

I just woke up and saw that Westland is going to be selling Rain Barrels with some of the proceeds going to the cancer foundation.  My mum died of cancer so whenever I can give, help promote research, I am in for it.  But, it is not just for the cancer research fund, it is for the rain barrel.  I have always wanted one to water my flowers, garden and save the water that comes from the sky and recycle it.  I think it is a good thing for our earth as well as a good example of conservation. My grandparents had two of them at their cottage in Canada and I can remember at a young age, putting a dipper in and getting out a bucket full of water.  The Cottage didn't have running water, so we used it to wash our hair, water the garden and yes, even flush the toilet.  I know I won't use mine for all those reasons but I do think it is a good way to reuse our water that comes from the sky. 

I have to research it and see where the best down spout to put it under. But, that is no different than researching a subject for school.  Learning again is what I am talking about, learning about something new, exciting, is all part of life.  I just found out that Granite State College is offering a Masters of Science Degree in Project Management.  I am so excited and want to get signed up as soon as I learn my new job better. I want to be proficient in this new position before I put other information in my brain.  Taking these classes is a great education and career advancement opportunity. I am so excited about this new class, I have told other colleagues about the program and who knows, maybe a few of us will go to Granite State College and take these accelerated adult studies classes. 

OK, I am off to get my rain barrel.  I hope you all have a great weekend!!

I had such a nice Sunday afternoon.  I was invited to an old friend's house for a farewell party for both her young adults; they are leaving the state. One is moving to Seattle, Washington and other to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  She had never had them so far from her before and unlike me, with mine all over the US, she is going to be so sad.  It is always an adjustment to see them go and do their own things but it is part of growing up and living. Her son is going back to school at the university of Alabama.  Her daughter is going back to Seattle to live and work.  Both of them have turned out to be such nice young adults that have already gotten their Bachelor's and Masters degrees....something any parent would be proud of.  I watched these kids grow up and have known them for years; they are like my own.  

I just encouraged them to be happy, keep learning, keep going to school and dream.  I may sound funny to say, Dream, but some dreams are small and some are big. My dream was to get a college education and I got that from Granite State College. My next dream is to get my Masters Degree and I will be heading right back to Granite State College for that. Why? Because it works for me. Online adult education classes give me the ability to get my education and still work my full time job. 

Focus: HOPE has established a memorial fund to honor the organization’s co-founder Eleanor Josaitis, who passed away today at the age of 79. This women was such a pillar in the community, helping rebuild Detroit after the riots years ago and carrying on a dream that we all are worth something, each life is valuable. 

Her famous words, "Let your light shine and make the world a better place" What wise words!! Yes, she was a wise woman. She was the woman that stepped in after the Detroit riots to educate people on equality amongst the races. She was also the co-founder of Focus Hope which helped feed, educate young Americans and mainsteamed them into society. She was given many awards throughout her lifetime, including the 1999 “Distinguished Warrior” by the Detroit Urban League and the Ford Employees African-Ancestry Network's 2002 Heritage Award and the National Caring Award from the Caring Institute in Washington D.C, just to name a few. She will be missed as she passed away this morning. She inspired young people to keep learning throughout their lives, embrace life and as she used to say, "let your light shine to make the world a better place." Going to school, learning is just a way of life.

Granite State College is a good place to start that dream, vision. Give them a call, make an appointment, work in those adult college classes in the evening or weekend. It can be done, it is never too late.

Yep, it was a great weekend. It started out with a golf outing and learned how to set my golf ball when teeing off to use my driver...it worked and I have never seen my ball go so far!!  After that on Friday night, I enjoyed a day at the Detroit Dream Cruise. We went down Mustang Alley as we reminisced about the old Stangs as well as the new upcoming ones.  The power they have is remarkable and the old relics brought back some fond memories of cruising days.

We first stared in Royal Oak then went through Birmingham where we were hit by a sudden storm.  The rain came down so fast and furious that big branches of trees ripped off and tents were flipping. Some of the cars took off early as they were calling for hale and Collectors do not want hale damage to their beautiful vintage cars.

It has been over 30 years since I've been to Birmingham. The last time I was there my son was in a baby buggy being pushed down the main street. He is now 31 and everything has changed in Birmingham. Speaking of change, life has its' way of changing for all of us. Some times in our life everything is good and other times it is low and depressing. School is a great avenue to get a fresh start on life. It gives you a goal, a plan and plans seem to help one focus on the Now and Present. Granite State College can work with you to get the goal heading in the right direction.  Either on site classes or on line adult education classes,this could just be the right plan for you.  Don't wait another minute, get a plan and follow through with it, one class at a time.

The Concord Monitor recently ran a story entitled "Changing the way we Educate" that profiled Granite State College and the unique ways in which we serve undergraduate and graduate students. The focus of the article was largely on how Granite State College balances business and academics, and how we are addressing a 48% cut in state appropriations (the largest cut ever made to the USNH appropriations). While the cut certainly impacts us, Granite State College has been very innovative this past year, launching a new BS in Health Care Management and developing our first masters degree (an MS in Project Management). We also streamlined our admissions processes, eliminated some fees, and adopted a "student-centered" approach that led to schedule improvements and the creation of student success teams.

Granite State College's innovations are leading to record enrollment levels for the college in spite of budgetary cuts. It is our ability to be responsive to student and employer needs that is becoming the college's hallmark. GSC has long been a leader in online education and today every degree the College offers is available entirely online, including our new MS in Project Management. For GSC, having our degrees available online is not enough, we have gone beyond that by building a top instructional design team that includes a media-rich specialist and adding greater support for online students through services such as online tutoring. We also provide our faculty with more tools than just the learning management system, one of the latest tools available to faculty allows them to create animated simulations.

Even with this expansion of online offerings and support, GSC has also continued to invest in technology and innovation at our state-wide campus centers. Our recent campus centers in Rochester, Manchester, and Littleton all offer an array of classroom technology, including wireless connectivity. More importantly, our innovations around curriculum are making higher education more accessible to adults and working professionals. We are launching fast-track programs this year that offer an accelerated and streamlined path to completing a bachelor degree.

State appropriations are certainly key to our ability to offer the best higher education value possible, but equally important is our ability to innovate. While appropriations may be down, innovation at GSC has never been higher.

I have always believed it important to not only talk the talk, but to walk the walk, when it came to teaching my children.  I have tried to accomplish this throughout the past 23 years of motherhood.  It is not always what we did do but often, what we did not do, that our children pay attention to.

My daughter was very proud of me when I graduated with my adult college degree last year.  It got her thinking of going back to school herself but although she talked about it she never took any action towards this stated goal.  The very same week my promotion at work was announced, my 23-year-old-daughter enrolled as a full-time student at a local New Hampshire State College.

As soon as my daughter realized the opportunity offered to me as a direct result of my academic accomplishments she realized there was no reason she had to wait until her mid-life for the same opportunities. 

No matter what your age, an adult college degree will open doors, present opportunities and offer new and exciting challenges.  I will not be surprised to find myself working for my daughter in 5-10 years!

To my daughter Brittany; you have always been bright, beautiful, ambitious and highly capable.  Now that you have decided to begin your adult college program, the world is yours for the taking.

You continue to make me proud of the young woman you are today and will undoubtedly become.  I am grateful you have made different life decisions than I, you will thrive in your academic pursuits and enjoy the benefits of your education for a lifetime.

You  go girl!

It is Sunday and a week after my trip to Tennessee to visit my grandson.  If you are not a grandmother or grandfather yet, I pray you get to enjoy that life experience some time in the future.  His eyes just light up when his Grammy comes to visit.  He seems to know that in his short life of four years, that Grammy gives him all the attention, love, fun and special moments he so enjoys.  We talk about everything and he is very inquisitive at this young age.  His voice yells out, "But Grammy, why?" so many times throughout the day. 
 
Why this, why that? Isn't it great to want to learn, want to discover, want to experience everything that is right in front of you every day?! In this picture to the right, we were at a park with a megaphone, where one talks in one end and at the other end of the park. Grammy is talking back.  He kept saying, "Grammy are you there?"  When I talked to him, he would look inside with wonder with curiosity and confusion, wondering where the heck was I.

So cute, so memorable. 

Just as he learns, we all learn. We all have that desire to learn and grown.  Sometimes I think we get in a rut and forget to grow our minds.  Our minds are muscles and need to be worked. It is known fact that when we get older we need to read, do puzzles, play Scrabble, etc.  It just shows that learning is a life-long process. Granite State College gave me that avenue to learn and grown. Whether it be working towards an Adult Education Degree or just working on Adult Continuing Education Programs, they all involve learning.

So if you are reading this, thinking about what I wrote about learning, get started and contact an adviser. They are so helpful and can get you started to learning, growing and working that brain of yours.  Until next time, have a great day!!

At all of our Granite State College campuses, we have recently implemented a new model for serving students on their path to degree completion.  We have formed Student Success Teams at each of our campuses.   I am very excited about this because it provides students with even more support than they have previously enjoyed. 

At the Conway NH college campus where I work, everyone is coming together to support our learners.  We have so many new options to make college learning easier!  We are offering a series of workshops, including writing and math labs, workshops on time management, organization....lots of different kinds of information to help students be more successful. These workshops are offered in a small group format, which allows us to support more students while fostering networking and relationship building.  

Another exciting direction we are moving in is offering Career Advancement Services.  We have always offered one-on-one career counseling, but we are expanding our programs and will soon have more to offer to students who need extensive career and life planning. 

We are very unique amongst colleges with online classes in that we offer so many different kinds of learning supports.  We have online 24/7 tutoring, "Smart Thinking" and online students who have access to one of our GSC Campuses, are also able to attend the live workshops. 

Another exciting tool we offer is a degree auditing system called CAPP.   Its available online, 24/7  and helps learners track their path toward an adult education diploma. CAPP shows students where transfer credits fit in, display grades and gpa information, and allows students to do a "What If" analysis that shows where their credits would fit in if they switch majors.

If you have a suggestion for workshops you would like to see to support your learning, please email me your suggestions at jan.hodges@granite.edu.  

    The inspiring story below is that of John, another ALA Scholarship Recpient for 2011.  John is just one more example of the unique and diverse student population you will find within the classrooms or on the blackboards of Granite State College.

    My educational journey has encompassed self-learning for most of my life after high-school.  My father passed away when I was in seventh-grade and I was a C+ student in a Catholic High School in Lawrence, MA.  I began college in Maine intending to study Marine Biology but being a mediocre student I needed student loans to cover all of my expected expenses.  I dropped out several weeks after the start for fear of mounting student loan debt.  At eighteen I entered the workforce as a high-school graduate, married my wife in 1981 and began a family in 1983.  As expected my job choices were very limited but I held a desire to enter the technology field.  After much research I chose Sylvania Technical School and entered the Telecommunications Electronics program using student loans once again, but these were limited and controllable.  Our first daughter, Bethany, was born with a heart defect and passed away after heart surgery at 7-days old.  Our second daughter, Noelle, was born just over a year later in 1984 but was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy at 1-year.  Her care was a significant part of our existence and it took a huge effort on my part to attend Sylvania Tech three days per week at night after my job to attend classes in addition to sacrificing that time away from my family, but it was for their benefit that I was educating myself to better position me for employment that provided a living wage and benefits that we so dearly needed for Noelle’s care.  Just before I graduated in 1988 with a diploma I interviewed for an Information Technology position at Raytheon and because of the reputation of Sylvania Tech and my grades I was hired as a Data Communications Field Tech.

    Wentworth Institute of Technology purchased Sylvania Technical School before I completed my program so my diploma bore the Wentworth name.  Because of this relationship Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston offered graduates of Sylvania/Wentworth Tech advance standing entry into an A.A.S. in Electronic Technology degree program.  Raytheon’s tuition reimbursement benefits were significant enough to allow me to attend one course per semester at their Boston campus and  continue my career college training.  It took me five years from 1992 till 1997 to complete my associate degree.  Five years of time and travel into Boston and precious time away from my family.  Nights and weekends I worked at our kitchen table on study and research while my family patiently gave me the time I needed for my studies.  My wife supported my endeavor by taking on additional care responsibilities for our daughter.  I wanted to complete my associate degree so that I could advance my career, become a better provider, and show my growing daughter that education is important and is a lifelong endeavor.  Noelle passed away on the second-to-last day of a wish trip to Disney on May 19, 1996.  My life was shaken for months after that event.  I did not attend the spring or summer semesters that year but eventually wanted to complete that degree for my daughter.  Two more semesters and I was finally able to dedicate my degree to Noelle during graduation on May 18, 1997, one day short of the first anniversary of her death.

    Afterward I honestly didn’t have the drive to continue my education at Wentworth.  Like many parents who have lost children I grieved by immersing myself in my work.  I continued to attend annual technical training to hone my information technology skill-sets which made me a more valuable employee but every year that passed I still thought about completing my degree.  After graduating Wentworth I worked with a recruiter from Boston in a job search.  He informed me that he would not be able to even get me into some corporate doors for interviews without having at least a bachelor’s degree.  Fortunately after interviewing at Lahey Clinic Medical Center they valued my technical skills more than my education and hired me as a Data Communications Engineer.  Each year that followed I have given consideration to completing my adult college degree but talked myself out of it.  Each year I thought, “if I had only begun last year I would almost be done”.  Well after a close scrutiny and self-assessment a couple of years ago about my past, present, and future life and career I decided to take that first step to completing my B.S.  I realized that as I grow older I am handicapped from further career growth without completing an adult college degree, B.S.  After almost twenty-five years working in technical positions in the field of information technology I find myself desiring to move into a leadership/management position within my current field of healthcare IT.

    I began the next iteration of my education journey in the spring of 2009 with Granite State College.  I discovered that the program for Applied Studies: Allied Health Services was tailor made to my career.  I have almost twenty-five years of technical experience but I needed to round out my business skills that are so valued in industry.  This B.S. will give me the necessary business skills with a slant toward the healthcare field that I currently work in, providing a targeted learning environment for me.  I began this degree program intending to provide myself and my wife “career insurance” to update and round out my skills, make me a more valuable employee and insure my future ability to provide a home and life for the both of us.  That goal has morphed over the course of the past two years, sparking my interest in pursuing an advanced degree after I complete my B.S. this spring at GSC.  Plymouth State offers a M.B.A. in Healthcare Administration, an ideal advanced degree for my career plans to remain in healthcare.

    After spending over a decade caring for our daughter, Noelle, at home and in Boston Children’s Hospital I would never have imagined that I would be working in the healthcare field yet here I am.  My education has been a struggle of work/life/family/financial balance yet we have accomplished much with the time we have had together.  I dedicated my A.A.S. to my daughter, Noelle.  I plan to dedicate my pending B.S. to my loving wife, Kathy, for her patient support during these past two years and God willing I will dedicate my future M.B.A. to everyone who has supported me and my family.  We have a great deal of loving family and friends in our lives, some have been treated at Lahey Clinic, my employer, and at least one had his life saved at Lahey with a liver/kidney transplant.  I am proud to dedicate my career to such an institution and hope that my continued education will allow me opportunities to serve in greater capacities.  I plan to achieve my B.S. before I am fifty-years old.  I still have between fifteen and twenty career years in front of me; I plan to contribute further to the success of Lahey Clinic’s service to our community, friends, and family.  I may have started as a mediocre high-school student but I believe with time and continued commitment to the goals I set and achieve for my benefit and also for my wife I am gaining back the opportunities I missed in my youth.  Two more semesters and I will have achieved this next goal while I plan yet further!

Please visit John's website to learn more about his personal accomplishments.

It is a Saturday in Dearborn, Michigan. The birds are singing like crazy, the nice cool breeze is blowing and I am thinking, "This is summer, where is the sunshine? Did I leave it behind in South Carolina or is it just fate that I am not going to see it much in Michigan at all?"  

I tend to believe that it will shine, sometime, someday in the future...I am praying it shines before I go back to work on Monday. 

I think I will do little planting today, maybe some sunflowers like I had in SC and see if they get as tall in Michigan. It will be a experiment, a learning factor to find out where they grow the best.  Here are a few of the spectacular sunflowers I had beside my home in SC. 


















I had so many different sunflowers last year, the one on the left was just so cool and I had neighbors coming from all over to see it.  It looked more like a marigold than a sunflower.  I saved some of those seeds and that is what I am putting in this afternoon in my Michigan back yard, the learning begins. 

Learning about flowers or learning about education, is just part of life that keeps us going. They say even in your aging years, you need to keep learning, keeping the mind fresh and awake is the key to longevity. Going to Granite State College opened up my eyes to learning and it can do it for you too.  You will not only get an awakening, you will meet some great friends, people who are in the same spot in their life as you are.  Maybe you just got divorced or maybe you are laid off or don't have a job. There is no time like the present to go back and get that adult education degree.