Education Opens Doors
by Elizabeth Solazzo
No single action can change a woman’s life for the better more than gaining a college education. Education is of benefit to everyone but is especially important for women to help level the playing field and open doors they often find closed to them without a degree. It took me many years to learn that hard lesson but as soon as I returned to school I begin to immediately see the positive changes in my life. Colleges are making it easier than ever on the adult learner as more older students return to school each year.
I made the fateful decision to go to college when I was at somewhat of a crossroads in my life. My children were growing up and I knew it was time for me to get a career instead of just another job. I faced the tough fact that I needed more education to achieve that goal. It was finally time to do something with my life beyond marriage and motherhood and I couldn‘t deny it anymore.
Upon reflection I realized that perhaps I had partially hidden from the world behind my family life. I had used my mothering responsibilities to protect me from having to search out what I really wanted in life. That had been easy enough since I had been pregnant at 15 and married with a second baby on the way by the time I was 19. What was there to decide?
I know today it is quite common for young girls to get pregnant and remain in school, but in 1972 in my part of the world that was not an option. Needless to say, I missed the teenaged college experience. At some point I did finish my general equivalency test for high school completion. But it wasn’t until much later that I returned to school at age 33. Attending school opened many opportunities to me that I had not even dreamed of at the time I made the decision to takes some classes. In the beginning I wasn’t even sure what I would study. It was a big enough step just to go.
I chose my local community college to start. I have never been so terrified in my life as I was on that first day I went back to school. I remember literally shaking as I searched for classroom numbers matching those printed on my schedule. But community college is a very kind place for an older student to start and someone soon directed this lost looking mother to the correct classroom. Mostly young students filled the school but I found comfort in seeing a few older students too. That older population continues to increase at most colleges nationwide and is even being courted by schools who have figured out how hard the older student will work to succeed.
Although it was a struggle, I immediately experienced success in my classes. I was a much better student than I remembered being when younger. That helped me build the confidence I needed to continue doing well. Before my first semester was over, I began working at the community college where I was attending school, first as a work study student, then later in a permanent secretarial position. This was the best job I had ever held due to my lack of education and training. Learning made me feel like a long neglected flower someone had finally remembered to water. I was quickly promoted after I completed my AAS degree with Alamance Community College and encouraged to continue to pursue higher education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. While working on my BS I continued to amaze myself. Who knew I could be such a smart cookie?
I finally graduated from college last year at age 44 with a GPA of 3.8, after attending part time and working full time for eleven long years! I know that graduating from college is an everyday occurrence for most people but not for me. It had taken a long time and I knew that degree meant more to me than it did to most of the young kids around me.
The decision to return to school has changed my life so drastically I don’t recognize myself today as that scared young mother who took the giant leap of faith and returned to school. The education has given me much more than a business degree. It has made me a different person. I am no longer so afraid of new experiences. I know I have the talent and skills to learn and grow. I have the proven ability to take whatever comes my way and make it into something good in my life.
I hope to use my experience to encourage other women to go to school. I know how discouraging life can be as a young mother with limited career options. Even while in school I sometimes wondered if I would ever reach that long awaited goal of graduation. Continuing semester after semester while working wasn’t fun. I know I missed out on a lot of activities with friends and family but it was worthwhile in the long run and I met a lot of interesting people along the way. It is still hard for me to believe I have actually graduated after so long.
Currently I am employed in student financial aid at that same community college where my journey began so long ago. I spend my days working with many young single mothers helping them find aid for their college education. I am so proud to have this opportunity to help others improve their lives through education, as I have done. It took me quite a while but I finally learned the benefits of a good education and reached out to acquire one for myself.
As I graduated with my BS in Management and Marketing recently, I thought of the most important thing I had learned along the way. It wasn’t statistics or management styles. Not even public speaking or writing, although those are all valuable classes. It was that this may just be the beginning for me. Education has opened so many doors and I now have so many more options available to me. My new life is filled with endless possibilities for the future! And I am finally open to them all.
Elizabeth Solazzo is employed in the student financial aid office at a community college where she spends her days working with many adult students helping them find aid for their college education.
