My Journey

Almost 20 years before beginning my journey at Siena Heights University, I completed two Associate’s Degrees at Lansing Community College (LCC). Thankfully I was able to transfer a majority of credits and apply them towards my Bachelor’s Degree at Siena Heights.

In that span of almost 20 years, I worked for a few acclaimed firms as a website designer and developer, learning from each position and all of the wonderful brains that surrounded me. It was not until after the birth of my daughter that I entertained the thought of returning once again to complete my Bachelor’s Degree. At first, I was very hesitant to commit; after all, it had been almost 20 years since I was last a student. I feared that I would not be able to finish school with all of the demands of my adult life, but I knew there was no better time than the present.

Starting out at Siena, I chose to go slow and was happy taking only one course every eight weeks. I wanted to make sure I was doing this right this time. I had always been a good student and I knew that as a single mom, working full time, I might have to accept that I would just be an ok student this time around. While it was painful, I let go of some of the expectations I had for myself. I practiced taking everything one day at a time and gave over control to my academic advisor, allowing her to plan my next two years of schooling out.

Day by day, I chugged along. Surprisingly, after my second full semester, I felt like I was getting a handle on life with this new responsibility. In the summer of 2019 I knew I needed to cover a science course at LCC and again found myself fearful of the workload. So I made a deal with myself: if I could handle my normal Siena courses and pass this biology course in the same semester, I would up my game in the fall and take two courses per eight weeks. This would push up my graduation date. I passed all my courses that summer with 4.0/A’s, so I followed through on my “deal” to increase my course-load for fall.

My time at Siena has given me a lot. The obvious things I have gained are outlined in the course outcomes. Sure, I successfully completed all of my courses. I learned a thing or two about biology and public speaking. I have a better understanding of how specific personalities communicate and can relate that to my office setting. I had many very enjoyable conversations with my professors and fellow classmates, despite not having ever met them in person. Overall, the academic outcomes have been everything that a student is supposed to expect.

What caught me off guard however, is what I did not see coming in my time spent at Siena: an improved sense of confidence and pride in myself. I came into this setting, nervous and unsure of my ability to live up to this commitment that I was making. I promised myself and my daughter that I would still be proud regardless of my grades, knowing that I was doing my absolute best that I can in the moment. And what did that get me? If my calculations are correct, and the online calculator is correct, I am going to be graduating Magna Cum Laude at the end of this semester! I have no accurate words to describe the emotion inside even just writing that statement. And while it is disappointing that Commencement has been postponed due to the coronavirus, I will still carry this feel-good in my heart every day! This journey has not in any way been an easy one, but I did it with all the grace and glory I had inside and here I am! Proud to be a Saint!

Below you will find a listing of the courses I took while enrolled at Siena, as well as downloadable samples of my work from each course. Feel free to email me feedback as well.