From Germanna Community College:
The story’s all too familiar. A promising young woman leaves college to raise and support her children, just when her dream career is within reach. Too often, as satisfying as raising a family is, her ambitions are derailed.
Teresa Lewis is a proud 46-year-old single mother of four children who refused to give up on her dream of becoming a criminal defense attorney.
Nearly three decades after leaving school, she found a way to go back that made sense.
Germanna’s completely online, accelerated College Everywhere program allowed her to work and study at the same time, taking the classes at home at her convenience.
Lewis, a Culpeper resident, has plenty of reason to be proud.
Her daughter is enrolled at the University of Southern California, studying to be an occupational therapist.
Her oldest son goes to the University of Virginia-Wise and will complete his accounting degree in December.
Another son is working on a master’s degree at Liberty University.
And her youngest son is in the ninth grade at Culpeper High School.
When Lewis made the decision to join the College Everywhere program, she was working at The Culpeper senior living community in the memory care unit as a certified nursing assistant. She recently moved to the Healthcare/Rehab department there as a CNA.
After she graduated from Liberty High School in 1995, she was attending Northern Virginia Community College and taking classes inching her toward her dreams. “Things changed and my life went in a different direction. I ended up having children. I quit school and raised my children, but always knew that I would return.”
“Once [College Everywhere] became available I figured, “Why not? Now is the perfect time to pursue my dreams…”
Naturally, she has doubts about returning to college nearly 30 years after dropping out. Could she do it? Would the accelerated program be too difficult?
“College Everywhere exceeded my expectations,” she says about the program that allows students to earn a two-year degree in one year and transfer to university with little or no debt.
The fast pace—completing two courses every five weeks—was a challenge.
“In the beginning I didn’t think that I was going to be able to keep up with all the assignments and still maintain a good GPA. I worked the entire time during the program and have managed to keep a 3.75 GPA.”
She’s transferring to Liberty University to earn her bachelor’s degree. She’ll be majoring Criminal Investigation, with a minor in pre-law.
“College Everywhere helped me “prepare, if not over-prepare,” she says. “I’ll be going straight into my major and minor.”
And nearly 30’years later; she’ll put on hee cap and gown and walk at Germanna’s December commencement.
