Akia Brown

Struggling to juggle -- it's the story of so many people's lives. Daily obligations seem to consume all the time there is. Akia Brown's story shows that the struggle to work toward a degree is not only possible, it is an essential step toward a successful future.
Akia is working toward a degree in construction management -- a field in which, as a woman, she is decidedly among the minority. Working full-time and taking care of her six children are additional challenges she faces... with relish.

Read Akia's story here.

Russ Clement

It is often easy to find all kinds of reasons not to go back to school. But Russ Clement's story illustrates how valuable a college education can be -- and not just for the person who is earning the degree.
Russ earned his degree in marketing at the tender age of 58. He did it partly for himself, but more to bolster his responsibilities as a role model to his children and stepchildren. As an "older student," Russ found that his fears were, well, unfounded. He loved it so much, he's thinking of coming back for another degree. Meanwhile, he's following his dreams.

Read Russ's story here.

Sara Duvall

There are a lot of ways to measure success, and Sara Duvall has enjoyed several of them. She was one of the people closely responsible for the film "Fried Green Tomatoes," for example.
But she also understood that finding your niche in life -- doing what you really enjoy and are good at -- is worth working for. So, this self-described "master at juggling schedules" found herself back in school at mid-life, pursuing a new career. Now she's doing what she loves, and transforming lives in the process.

Read Sara's story here.

Gary Nicholls

Gary Nicholls was well into his career path, and he thought he had left his youthful dream of teaching far behind. At least, it was far from his mind, as he worked his way up in a film-production company.
Then, downsizing hit, and he was shocked by a sudden layoff from his successful career of 20 years. It was time for a re-assessment of his life's goals. The layoff turned out to be one of the best things that ever happened to Gary, as he re-focused on his original goal and now nears its culmination, nearly 40 years later.

Read Gary's story here.

Gary's story was also reported in the Detroit Free Press; read that article here.

Jose Valderrama

Everyone faces adversity in achieving their life's goals. Jose Valderrama's story is just one example of how you can turn your goals into reality, even if you don't know what your goals are yet!
So what if the entire journey to a degree takes 20 years. Jose admits he had some growing up to do the first time he enrolled in college. But the second time proved to be the charm -- and it helped him define his goals to a career that suits him perfectly.

Read Jose's story here.