Lorena Jackson, 66, of Waldorf, received her associate's degree in management development during CSM’s 10th winter commencement Jan. 15. Jackson, who is the first in her family of 12 children to graduate from college, took one class a semester, mostly at the Waldorf Center, while working full time and raising a son.
When Jackson signed up for her first class at CSM’s Waldorf Center more than 10 years ago, it was a nerve-racking experience, she said.
“I didn’t know what to expect, or even if I would be a good student,” Jackson said. “But, the instructor was very good, very encouraging and very helpful. All my instructors took the time to go over anything that I didn’t understand,” she added.
Jackson said that although she was aware that she was older than many of her fellow students she never felt left out. “The younger students were great-I loved them,” she said. She has maintained friendships with several of her classmates from over the years.
Jackson went to Waldorf Center for one class at a time while she worked full time for the Federal Bureau of Prisons and raised her son. Her son, said Jackson, is very proud of her and can’t wait to see his mom’s framed diploma hanging on display.
Jackson is close to retirement from her federal job and says that her degree will be the springboard for what she wants to do in her second career.
Following her retirement, Jackson plans to continue at CSM to take classes in criminal justice to prepare her for working with juvenile offenders. She feels that she has a lot to offer, especially as an example to show young people that with determination goals can be accomplished.
“CSM! It has been an experience that I really can’t explain-the people, the instructors are so accommodating. We laugh, we talk and we learn. It has been a wonderful experience for me-a grand time,” Jackson said.
Trisha DeGroot of Port Tobacco started her college education early and received her associate degree in business administration just two weeks before her 18th birthday. With her Air Force family, DeGroot moved frequently. “I’ve lived in about 13 different homes from Louisiana to New Jersey to Texas and Georgia and now I live in Southern Maryland—which I love the best.”
DeGroot began her college studies at CSM with a single math class in the summer of 2007. By fall 2007, DeGroot was taking business classes full time. Following graduation, DeGroot wants to return to CSM to get a second degree before transferring to a four-year college to pursue a degree in accounting.
DeGroot works as a student assistant for CSM’s Wellness, Fitness and Sports Department and is past secretary of the Service Learning Club. Last spring she helped construct a playground at a homeless shelter in the D.C. area. “We hooked up with a group of 200 people from another organization and built the playground in one day-it was so much fun,” DeGroot said.