June 2003 • The monthly newsletter for UWT faculty and staff
Five
2003 graduates tell their stories
A
single mother of two boys, Sabrina Crenshaw faced
medical problems this year that might have forced her out of school.
She managed to stay in classes and earn a high GPA while acting
as ASUWT senator, working in the Office of Student Life and serving
as an assistant scoutmaster for her son's Cub Scout troop. Sabrina
lived with her parents to save money and paid for college through
scholarships and loans.
Crenshaw
almost single-handedly revitalized ASUWT's childcare committee
and spearheaded an effort to provide a financial boost to students
with childcare expenses. Largely because of her effort, UWT now
has a childcare assistance program. Crenshaw was given the University's
Rod Hagenbuch Service Award for her work in the past year. She
will earn a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences.
Husband
and wife Tin and Kevin Wong will earn their MN
degrees on Friday morning. That evening, they'll attend their
youngest daughter's high school graduation.
The
Wongs, married for 22 years, both work at Kin On Health Care Center
in Seattle, where Kevin is director of nursing services. Since
they arrived in the Northwest in 1988, both have been committed
to continuing their education. In the beginning, they struggled
with English and computers but learned with the help of their
two daughters.
Neither
plans to use their new degrees to seek higher-paying jobs; rather,
Kevin says, it was simply important to them to make a lifelong
commitment to education. "We were setting an example for
our daughters."
Next
year, both of the Wongs' daughters will be studying at the University
of Washington. Their eldest is studying biochemistry and the youngest
is considering a degree in biomedical engineering.
At
age 18, Darci Walter wanted to attend law school.
But family problems kept her from her dream, and she sought work
in a dentist's office. She wanted to go back to school, and told
herself that she'd go back before she was 40 or not at all.
Friday,
at age 39, she will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Politics
and Values. She hopes to earn a degree from Columbia University
and become a lobbyist for nonprofit organizations.
Darci
earned a Next Step Scholarship to attend UW Tacoma. She says she
hopes to serve as an example to other women who are nervous about
starting their education or following other dreams later in life.
"You can do it, and you can do it with success, too,"
she says.
Cindy
Tompkins, 45, spent 22 years earning her AA degree. She
earned her BA in two years and has already been accepted to the
University of Washington School of Law.
Tompkins
had worked in accounting for 15 years when she decided that she
didn't want to spend the rest of her life in the same job. She
decided to follow her dream of becoming an environmental lawyer,
and started with the Environmental Studies concentration in UW
Tacoma's Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences program.
The
pressure of college, she said, was quite a shock. But she listened
to professors who said she was good enough and will graduate with
honors. She was accepted at four law schools.
"I
just got really determined," she said. "I knew the value
of the education and I knew I was so lucky to get a chance to
learn."
Tompkins'
21-year-old son graduates from Bellevue Community College Friday
night. He will attend his mom's graduation ceremony.
