Adult Education and Training

If I was to appreciate one thing it would be my very striking journey from my homeland and those who gave me refuge in their countries. I left my country due to the civil war that had put the country into huge turmoil. I have been to Ethiopia for four years, Kenya for nearly ten years and finally to the United State from August 23rd 2001 to the present.

I have never been to school in my country and neither have my parents or any other family members. I remember going to grade one in Ethiopia before we were driven out by the regime change in 1991. It had been long treking and painful  for me and colleagues during those times.

In August 2001, I landed here with the idea of becoming the first ever person in the family who should reach the goal of achieving the break through in education. However, I was affected by the homesickness that overwhelmed me because of the long time that I had spent with no parents. So I decided to go back home in 2006 and get married to a girl that I knew back in Kenya.

In 2007, I came back and started to take some online adult education classes while doing a follow up on my wife's process to come here. It had not been easier and I personally learned a lot from that. Finally, my wife came here in 2008 and gave me a sense of relieve mentally. I am now a Granite State College student pursuing my BS in Business Management. It is my true pleasure to be a GSC student and I look forward to graduating next year if possible. To my fellow students, there is no hesitation to better living and there is no struggle with no reward. Remember that whatever you do has an outcome/end result.

Name: James Alier
Class of: 2012
Location: Manchester/Online
Degree: BS in Business Management

I love New York City. I love the lights, the noise, the people, the larger than life... everything. I have a fondness for the apartment-building stoops and the architecture and the street food carts and all of the different accents from all the different ethnic groups. I've always wanted to experience New York City at Christmas time. Watching "Miracle on 34th Street" (the black and white version only!) every year makes me long to see the famous parade, witness the light displays, visit Macy's. My daugter feels the same way and when I asked her what she'd like to do for Thanksgiving this year, she asked to go to the city to see the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

No matter how much I love the city, the actual reality of going there always scares me, especially with my kid in tow. I have to think about parking and train schedules and hotels and packing and safety and supplies and weather and money and food and directions and logistics of all sorts. But I really wanted to go and I told her I would make it happen. But when it came down to it, just a few days before we were to leave, the fear set in. What if I encounter something I'm not prepared for? With a city that size, there are millions and billions of unpredictable situations. It was the fear of the unknown.

I've felt this fear before of course. Every year of my life on the night before the first day of high school, upon starting a new job, before a date. And one of the biggest ones-- going back to college as an adult. The thing about this fear is, I couldn't ever let it stop me from moving upward and onward. As much as I'd rather have gone about my daily life stuck in a job I deplored with no formal education beyond my high school diploma, and as much as I'd rather sit in the warmth of my living room watching the parade on television when that fear took hold, I knew I couldn't. I wouldn't be that person.

Before beginning college in New Hampshire, at Granite State College, I went through these same feelings and worked through them the same way I did a few days before Thanksgiving. I just stayed scared and followed through with my plan anyway. I just forged ahead despite the fear. Because the only way to make the fear of the unknown go away, is to jump in until its known.

We ended up having a great time in New York City and my daughter and I are now able to say that we saw the most famous annual parade up close and live. We were there. Everyone else I know watched for us on TV from the comfort of their living rooms. But we were there.



   

   

   

Speaking of incredible adult college courses that deeply impacted
me (well, I was speaking of it in my last post anyway), I'll never forget another class I took through Granite State College-- a Manchester, NH college class called Humanities in the Age of Technology. I always loved the unique course selections available to me every term, excited when a crisp new course schedule would arrive in the mail, and this was no exception.

Professor Jeff Haight was the instructor's name and he was really tough. But he was the best kind of tough, because his high standards, proficiency, and insistence on advanced-level learning challenged me beyond what I thought I could do. He introduced me to another genre of learning that was to become a lifelong love of mine-- philosophy. His passion for the subject made it easy to attend that weekend college class.

His was the type of course that went beyond just career training education; It was a class that provoked me to pursue questions about life and meaning and analytical thought. He introduced me to the discourses of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, exposed the class to the trial of Socrates, and taught us the concept of consilience-- the unity of knowledge.

So, yeah. Here's a shout out to you, Jeff Haight. Thank you for your teaching excellence. I won't forget it.

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.

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.

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!!!!!!

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. 

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.

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.

Have any of you moved and can't find some of your belongings at the other end?  Well, that happens. It has happened to me almost every time I have moved.  What is missing, is always the question and what just about drives you nuts looking for it. 

That exact thing, happened this time with my move from SC to MI.  An iron is lost and a couple boxes I had packed earlier are also missing in action.  The movers were so great and nice, I have no clue where these items were put or delivered too.  Well, the movers are coming out tomorrow to take a look in my attic to see if they can find the items.  I hope they do, I hope they find everything I have lost.  Hopefully it will not be too hot up in that attic in the morning.  

Moving brings back my memory of my move to NH. Learning the area, finding some friends, learning a new job etc., all very exciting.  I also had to find an adult college program to transfer too from Aquinas College in Nashville, TN.  I found a college that took all my credits and continued my education at Granite State College.  They had an adult education degree program, they had Accelerated weekend intensive classes that helped me move along to that piece of paper while raising a family and holding down a full time job. I mostly liked their evening college classes - they included other adult learners just like myself. 

So, whether it is finding belongings after a move or finding a college to finish your adult college degree, stay positive and you can do it. We can do anything we want to do bad enough, I am a believer, I am proof it can happen.

Well, all my fans and friends, I am in my new home in Dearborn, Michigan.  It has been twenty-three years since I left and some things have changed and some remain the same. 

I thought about blogging this morning as I was on Facebook and saw a picture that brought back many memories of great times in Dearborn. One at Camp Dearborn where everyone would end up on the weekends.  You went to school with your friends during the week and on the weekend, the picnic baskets were packed, swimsuits bundled with towels and it was off to Milford, where you played with those same friends, on the weekends. Fun, lots of fun and fond memories.  Then I came upon another picture of the Ford Rotunda which sat way back off the road on Rotunda Drive.  I was very young when it burned to the ground but I can remember my grandfather taking me there to sit on Santa's lap.  That was a long, long time ago. 

Many memories are coming to mind with this move back to Dearborn. 

Good memories of Granite State College, where I earned my adult education degree, roll through my mind as well.  Memories are good no matter what they may be about because memories make who we are and the experiences we embark upon through our life.  Going to college and earning my adult college degree was one of my finest memories.  It is where I gained confidence in myself and grew as a person. It actually got me my job in Dearborn, which brought me home!!

Below is the story of one amazing Granite State College student that I came across when reviewing application essays for the GSC ALA Scholarship this past spring.  With a student such as Lori in your classroom, you not only learn with her, but from her.
"You may have seen the ad for Dyson vacuum cleaners. James Dyson tells how he tried some 5,000 times to get the vacuum cleaner design and function he wanted, but he didn’t give up, and it culminated in the popular Dyson Ball. I am drawn to stories of people determined to reach a goal probably because I feel I can relate especially in my quest for education beyond high school.

I loved growing up on a farm in the Midwest, but the path of least resistance would have been to live and work for the rest of my life in the small town six miles down the road. I came from hard-working parents who believed higher education was good for those who knew exactly what they wanted to do and had the money to do it. At age 18, I knew this left me out on both counts, but somehow I was going to navigate my way in an unfamiliar world by myself.

I believe a curiosity about so many things and a love of learning has been wonderful, but for the last 30 years it’s also made finding my place in the working world a challenge. I have always enjoyed creating/designing, organizing spaces, history, and what makes people do what they do to name a few. If an entry level job, which has been what I’ve been qualified for, didn’t have any of the above attributes nor the potential for advancement, it didn’t hold my interest over the long term. I always felt that going back to school to tqake adult college courses could increase my options for a better job so I took courses here and there, but I allowed myself only a certificate program time commitment which proved to be too narrow in scope.

Over the years, my quest for an adult education diploma had become a common theme of hope for the future. I was accepted into an adult college program, but got married and we had to move too far away for me to attend. However, for the next eight years I pursued and finished an Associate’s Degree while working part-time and raising a family. Later, during my divorce when my kids were in middle school, survival and stability became the priorities. After a few years, I was accepted into another adult college program at a local university. As I was making plans to go to college fulltime, diagnosis of a serious illness turned my world upside down. Surgery, treatment and keeping life positive at home for my kids put education on the back burner once again.

Nearly two years ago with my kids out on their own, I made plans again to pursue a Bachelors degree. To make this work financially, I sold, donated and discarded most of my possessions. I started at Granite State College, but I needed some direction. Through introspection, good advising, and taking SDLR 550, I realized a self-design program in Gerontology was a good choice for me. At 54, accumulating educational debt when I ought to be planning for retirement seems counterintuitive, but I now have hope for my future. I want to flourish in life, not just survive it.

Gerontology, is the study of the process of aging, across the life span, whose multi-disciplinary aspects include physical, mental, social and spiritual changes in people as they age. Much of my interest comes from a deep affection and respect for the elderly which has developed over my lifetime. This has been supported by many influential experiences with elderly relatives. My dear grandmother wasn’t conventionally domestic, but we spent countless hours on a creek bank just talking and fishing. She was a young widow who didn’t drive and was dependent on people for transportation, but she was a lady with a very independent spirit.

Older persons inspire and fascinate me with their personal perspectives of historical events. I’ve enjoyed talking with people who lived through the Great Depression, served in wars, and some who survived the holocaust. The residents I’ve come to know while working at RiverWoods, a CCRC, have experienced the benefits and joys of family, higher education, and financial success. All gracefully persevere through the loss of family, friends, and health.

I can’t tell you exactly what I want for a position, but I feel that my determination toward this degree will afford me more employment options and opportunities hopefully helping the elderly flourish at whatever age they are. As independent as I tend to be, I realize the importance of interdependence and the reciprocal nature of giving and receiving. I appreciate the opportunity to apply for this scholarship as it will help me achieve my goal. I look forward to being in a position helping others achieve their goals and unlocking their own potential regardless of age."

Finally it seems that winter has left us behind and spring is giving way to summer. The flowers are in bloom and everyone wants to be outside. For me, that sunshine is also calling me to read a good book, whether in traditional book form, or on a computer screen.

Did you know that Granite State offers courses that allow you to experience the out of doors? There are science classes that allow you to travel to the Isles of Shoals. There are art classes that allow you to paint the landscape. These are some of the adult education services available to students at Granite State College.

The college also offers distance learning classes that would be perfect for you to get involved in while sitting in that warm spring sunshine. You can take online courses for adults at Granite State and enjoy the spring weather at the same time that you are studying science, math, behavioral science or early childhood education. So when you grab that good book and settle into the summer sunshine, grab a Granite State College catalog, and enjoy the weather.