Juggling family and career responsibilities can be quite the balancing act. Add schoolwork and it may seem overwhelming. But it is possible. Looking back upon this past year, we’ve seen students overcome insurmountable odds and brave new challenges to fulfill their educational goals and dreams.
With every New Year come new resolutions and new ambitions, and our students offer some of the most encouraging and invaluable suggestions to usher in 2014 as the year of accomplishments. Here are powerful quotes from our awe-inspiring past, present and future graduates on motivation, leadership, passion and everything in between.
Your dreams don’t have a time limit.
Melody Allen McBeth
"[My daughter] said she didn't need to go [to college] because dad and I hadn't, and we were just fine. I told her she had no idea what opportunities we had missed out on without that degree. So we made a deal. If she went, so would I. I graduated before her and with a higher GPA! Not too shabby considering she was recommended for a Rhodes, a Marshall and a Fulbright. That was 5 years ago and now I am a director and have 13 people working for me. It's never too late!"
Tom Baker
"One day at a time... It took me 25 years... off and on, but I finally did it."
"One day at a time... It took me 25 years... off and on, but I finally did it."
Ingrid Bayona Casey
"Age is only a number; never give up... your day will come! At 49 years old I just finished my BA in Communications, and I am thankful for the opportunity TESC [TESU] gave me to achieve that goal."
Explore your options.
Melissa Rothe
"Use the tools! CLEP exams, 6 credit courses and FEMA classes accelerate the degree completion at a lower cost. And keep your eye on the finish line!"
Theodore Pride
"Do as much portfolio review as possible. It's the fastest way to gain credits, short of AP/CLEP (which you should also do).
Ryan Yoder
"Flexible credit options. Most don't even know TESC [TESU] allows you to [take] CLEP or DSST [exams and] test out of almost 100% of your degree."
Stay motivated.
Kujjo Ansah
"I watch commencement ceremonies either on the school's website or on YouTube. That's ALL the motivation I need, thinking, I will be there soon."
Santiago Abel Ruiz Diaz
"I have a long journey ahead of me, but I keep telling myself 'whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."
Francine Weiss-Tymesko
"I kept telling myself, I am doing this to better myself and secure my family's future. Making sure my children have not only what they need but also what they want. Also knowing I can take care of them in the way that I want, kept pushing me to finish."
Learn what you love and pursue it with a passion.
Nicolas Hrynenko
"I wanted to be an electrical engineer. I wanted to use my knowledge in engineering. Of course that was 29 years ago. There was simply a deep-seated interest in the subject that I never wanted to stop learning and using electronics and electricity."
Shawn Mitchell
"Manage your time, study, and choose a major interesting to YOU."
Anne Rudolph
"I finally found a profession I was interested in and I had to have a degree within that field, so that was what inspired me to come back..."
Organization and time management are half the battle.
Rob Lts
"Figure out how to properly manage your time and DO NOT fall behind. It's hard to catch up."
Matthew Hines
"Don't get discouraged at the amount of work or time you have to put into the degree. I am in my final semester, and there is nothing like the feeling of accomplishing a long-term goal. They can't take your degree away from you, or the mind behind it. Work hard, budget your time, and enjoy the ride."
Yudi Lock
"I would take my laptop into my office, not take my cell phone and [instructed] not to disturb me. I would take a few snacks so I wouldn't leave the room... I would do two hours and then take a break, because after that it's kind of pointless if you don't. I would read the same paragraph or problem three times and realize it was break time."
Lisa Pfeiffer Jones
"My only other piece of advice is as soon as possible, I always put all of my assignments on a calendar. (This is especially important when taking multiple classes.) Online classes have different types of requirements; papers, quizzes, posts, reply posts, tests and so forth. Until I became accustom to the format, it was extremely helpful to be able to see all my class requirements in one easy to read place."
Written by Thomas Edison State University