What do you do when re-decorating isn’t enough?
It’s a question many moms ask when their youngest is off to college, and they face that big old empty nest. For one Staten Island mom, the answer was simple — go back to school and finally get that degree.
In 2004, Donna LeChillgrien was working full-time as a Parent Coordinator for the Department of Education, and her youngest son, Adam, was a senior in high school. As she helped him prepare for his own future, her thoughts turned more and more to continuing her own education, a dream that she had put on hold for her family so long ago.
“I dropped out of college when I was a teen,” LeChillgrien said. “But I always dreamed of returning.”
That time came when Adam was about to graduate.
“Raising a family, working full-time and household responsibilities always seemed more important, there was never enough time,” she explained. When her nest was finally empty, she thought, “No more re-decorating. I’m going back to school.”
LeChillgrien researched many options and finally settled on Empire State College, a State University of New York that offered flexibility, affordability and varied programs. LeChillgrien went to an informational session held at the Seaview Avenue location in Staten Island, and, after a talk with mentor Dr. Margaret Souza, was hooked.
“I was a bit hesitant,” she recalled, telling Souza: “I’ll be 50 when I finish.”
Undaunted, her mentor and future colleague replied, “If you don’t finish, you will still be 50 and without a degree — so take the trip.” It clinched the deal for LeChillgrien. Before she walked out the door, she signed up for two courses.
“The journey has been awesome,” she said. “Even though the thought of applying to college was terrifying, looking back, it was — other than raising my children Adam and Janine — the most rewarding experience of my life.”
LeChillgrien started classes in May 2005 and graduated in December 2007. She was elected Commencement Speaker, earned a 3.97 cumulative grade point average and received a BS in Community and Human Services with a concentration in Theory and Practice. She then continued with graduate studies at St. John’s University and earned her MsEd degree in May 2010.
Just six short years later, LeChillgrien is now a mentor-professor at Empire and teaches in the same building where she was once a student.
“It’s a home away from home,” LeChillgrien explained. “The college welcomed me with open arms, offering me a position as a professor/mentor after I completed my master’s degree. Now I’m able to provide a warm, nurturing environment to my students, just as my professors provided me.”
In her first semester in that role, she taught Theories of Personality Development. This semester, she’s teaching Positive Psychology, and, in Spring 2013, she will team-teach a course in Integrated Health and Healing with an educator whose concentration is in science. The team-teach innovation was instituted in September 2011.
“I’m really looking forward to working with an educator in the science field and getting involved with this exciting new program,” said LeChillgrien.
Empire State College, founded 41 years ago, is a regionally accredited college of SUNY, that originally catered to returning adults like LeChillgrien. But due to its flexibility, affordability and various programs, the college has seen an influx of younger students, some coming directly from high school. Ages range from 18 to 65 and even beyond.
“I have seen three generations, from grandmother to grandchild, graduating on the same stage,” LeChillgrien commented. “The ceremonies are so joyful, so full of accomplishment.”
Her position as mentor allows her to counsel students on how best to achieve their own goals.
“It’s funny how life goes around,” said LeChillgrien. “My office now is the same one that I sat in as a student, and now I’m the mentor.”
Empire’s teaching method is out of the box, too — very different from traditional educational institutions.
“I was able to choose my own course of study,” LeChillgrien said. “I didn’t have to conform to a regimented schedule. [And] because of the college’s admittance policies, the dissertation I submitted outlining my previous life/work experiences, and acceptance of prior college credits, I was able to fast track and earn my bachelor’s degree in only two years.
“I also received one-on-one mentoring every step of the way, which helped me focus on what exactly I wanted to do after graduation.”
Because she worked during all five years that she was in college, the road to achieving her dream wasn’t always a walk in the park.
“It’s daunting when you work full-time and have a family, but the college had five semesters per year, flexible locations, and a myriad of choices, which really afforded me maximum learning time. Together with my mentor and taking the mandatory educational planning course, I was able to achieve my goal.”
Empire State College is based in Saratoga, New York, and it has satellite campuses throughout the state and metropolitan area, including Staten Island, Brooklyn, and Manhattan.
Along with stationary classrooms, the college also offers a Center for Distance Learning, where students can obtain their entire degree online, through e-mail, telephone and Skype.
“Learning at Empire is not an individual experience,” said LeChillgrien, explaining that she learned from both her professor and fellow classmates. “By sharing our life experiences with each other, we broadened our knowledge. Learning at Empire is a collective experience.”
Through hard work, discipline and drive, LeChillgrien achieved her goal and realized her dream. She’s doing what she always wanted to do: Teach.
So what’s your decision: Re-decorating or fulfilling your dream?
