My higher education began in 1984 and I thought it ended in 1986 when I got married. I have raised two amazing daughters, watched one graduate with a teaching degree, watched one graduate with a medical assistant degree, and am watching my grandkids begin their educational journey. A year and a half ago I decided it was my turn! I enrolled at our local junior college to catch up on classes I needed because I had been out of school for so long. My incredible advisor knew that I had been a special education paraeducator for close to 20 years. She found the Teacher Apprenticeship Program at Wichita State University. The hardest thing for me has been adjusting to, essentially, independent study. Taking classes completely online is difficult because I am missing out on face-to-face personal connections with other students. I have adjusted fairly well. I am proud to say that I currently am carrying a 4.0 GPA and have learned to finish assignments way ahead of time. I have been amazed at the instructors I have encountered.

Wichita State University put together an incredible program that came at the perfect time in the lives of some pretty amazing paras. I know I have made a difference in the lives of so many wonderful students in the last 19 years. However, having my teaching degree will give me an even greater opportunity to influence students during one of the most turmoil-filled eras our country has witnessed for a long time. Students today are encountering trauma that you only knew about because of movies. My heart breaks when I discover the conditions some of our students live in. How, in this day and age, is that possible? I need my degree to show students that it doesn’t matter how old you are when you finally achieve your dreams. As long as they hold onto those dreams, they will carry a small fire with them that can turn into a bonfire at a moment’s notice. Being able to ignite that fire in my very own students is the dream I have held on to these many years.