GRADUATE PROFILE
a g n i s a h C m a e r D Emsley Baptiste, ASBA ’19, BSBA ’22 Emsley Baptiste had always dreamed of earning a college degree; today, he has two and is planning to pursue a third. Growing up, Emsley Baptiste put his dreams on hold while he helped support his mother and siblings. Now, he has realized his aspirations. “My mother was a single parent that had the task of raising four other siblings and me on her income as a self-employed seamstress,” recalled Baptiste, who grew up in Guyana, South America, and came to the United States in 2015. “As the eldest – after completing high school – I started working to assist my mother. This responsibility made it impossible for me to fulfill my dream of earning a degree in business or accounting. Instead, I pursued studies with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (a global professional accounting body). Furthermore, I obtained qualifications as a Certified Accounting Technician (CAT). Even with these credentials, I felt incomplete until I finally earned my degree.” Baptiste was encouraged to study at Thomas Edison University by his wife.
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“Throughout my college experience, my wife has been my biggest cheerleader and encouraged me to hang in there even when the going got tough, and I felt like I wanted to quit,” said Baptiste. “She impressed upon me that TESU was perfect for working adults based on her comparison of other universities,