Rosella Hyland
Charles Porter Jr.
Lindsey Smith
Mom’s turn to finish
Displaced worker finds a future
Providing balance
For Rosella Hyland, a college degree was a long time coming. An associate’s degree in general studies gave her a sense of accomplishment for something she started years ago. “Now my three children are in college or have graduated from college. So we all came together as a family and decided it was Mom’s turn to finish,” she said. Getting back in the swing of things was not as easy as one might think. “I felt like I could do anything … anything except math,” she added. “So once I came back I had to take the assessment test.” Her first math class was online. “I found that if given the time and the forum where I could go through an assignment multiple times I could grasp the concepts and retain them,” she noted. “I actually enjoy math now.” For Hyland, she thinks her fear of math was a self-esteem issue. She encourages others by telling them to “always remember that you are going to school for yourself,” she said. “If you approach it from that angle, you will make sure you get out of it everything that is yours.”
Charles Porter Jr. is the first to point out that he definitely is a nontraditional student. Until recently, he had a job he thought he would have for 30 years and then retire. His plans changed. Acting on a desire to learn sign language, he applied to the interpreter training program. “If all the instructors at JCCC are like the instructors I experienced, then hurrah!” he said. As a student, he worked in the Student Success Center. “I showed (students) the long list of career programs and certificates at JCCC. Each time, the many options available always amazed me,” he said. “I let other students know that the instructors and counselors know you … you’re more than just a student … and you’re never too old to learn. I can vouch for that!” In August, Porter received a call from an instructor at JCCC with an opportunity that seemed to fit him perfectly. “I was asked to be an interpreter/ coach for two eighth-graders from the Kansas School for the Deaf who are playing football,” Porter said. “For me, it’s my dream job!”
As a single mother who works full-time, yet is determined to receive a college education, Lindsey Smith uses online and evening/weekend classes at JCCC to help balance work, family and school. “Because of my work schedule and having a young son, I had to look for college classes at night, on weekends or online,” Smith said. Taking four classes online and one at night plus working a fulltime job and a weekend job is demanding. “Knowing that later on I will be able to provide for my son is what gives me hope,” Smith said. “I always remember: study hard now, play later. I know I will be rewarded in the future … I know I have to keep my priorities straight.” Helping Smith to achieve her goals are JCCC teachers who understand all that Smith is juggling. “The faculty members at JCCC are great,” she said. “Most of them have families, and they know where you are coming from. They take the time to sit down with you, send you e-mails or even call you. It is reassuring that they actually care.”
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