Issue 7, Fall 2013 A newsletter for Edinboro University‟s

adult student population.

New Leaf WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Nothing is more rewarding than keeping in touch with adult students

after they graduate from Edinboro and become alumni, according to

the Office of Adult Student Services! Hopefully, seeing what former

students are doing is also encouraging to current students.

Lori Maughan graduated from Edinboro

in the spring of 2009 with a bachelor of

arts in psychology, concentrating in

mental health. She was accepted into

the graduate program at Edinboro for

rehabilitation counseling in the fall of

2009 and graduated with her master of

arts in the spring of 2012.

She actively searched for a job after

graduation and landed her dream job as

a rehabilitation specialist with Presque

Isle Rehabilitation Services. The company is based in Edinboro where

she lives, and she is able to work from home most of the time. The job

serves clients within a 2.5 hour radius from Erie, so she is able to do a

bit of traveling from time to time, which she loves.

Lori works with injured workers as a liaison between the injured

worker, employer and insurance adjuster. In this position, she is able to

utilize her previous nursing background in combination with her

graduate degree. Lori has a unique connection with her clients as she,

too, was an injured worker before deciding to return to school for a

change in career path.

Continued on page 4...

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Where are They Now ...............1

Student in the Spotlight...........2

Learning Outside of Class ........3

Adult Student Scholarship ......3

Did You Know? ........................4

Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” ― Henry Ford

Meet Laura Bednarski. Laura began her studies at Edinboro 17 years ago as an elementary education major. After attending for three semesters, she decided to take off a few years. She made her return in the spring of 2009 and is now a nursing major set to graduate in the spring of 2015. Like most adult students, Laura has little free time, and in fact says balancing school, work and kids is the most difficult thing about being an adult student. What time she does have, she devotes to family, but she does manage to squeeze in participation in a campus organization called SNOE (Student Nurses‟ Organization of Edinboro). Laura stresses that it‟s a team effort, and that she would not be able to go to school if she did not have the support and encouragement of her husband, son and daughter. She chose Edinboro because it is where she began her college education, and it‟s where she wanted to continue it. She has always wanted to be a registered nurse and would love to work in a surgery center when she graduates. Laura‟s advice to other adult students: “Keep focused on the present and take it one day at a time.”

THE QUESTION NOT ASKED IS THE ONE NOT ANSWERED

ADULT STUDENT IN THE SPOTLIGHT

“In the six years that I have worked

with adult students, I‟ve found one of

the most pervasive issues is their fear of

asking questions,” says Philomena Gill,

Associate Director of the Center for

Career Development and Adult Student

Services. “This occurs not only in the

classroom, but outside as well. There

are so many resources for them, and

sometimes a simple question is all it

takes to solve their problem or point

them in the right direction.”

Adult student and psychology major

Michelle Morton gives the following

insight: “Every year I get older and the

kids get younger! When I first started

back, I was nervous about being the

"old" person in the room. In high

school, I never wanted to ask questions

for fear of looking stupid. Now, I go

ahead and ask because I've learned that

most everyone else in the class has the

same questions - they're just afraid to

ask. The only way you learn is by

asking questions!”

The moral of this story? “He who asks a

question is a fool for five minutes; he

who does not ask a question remains a

fool forever.”

Laura Bednarski with son Chad, daughter Sydney, and husband Chad

He who asks a question is a

fool for five minutes; he who

does not ask a question

remains a fool forever.

-Chinese Proverb

LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM By David Goodwill, Coordinator of Camps, Programs and Recreation

The Campus Outdoor Recreational Experience (C.O.R.E) would like to

send a special message to all adult students at Edinboro University.

The C.O.R.E program is not just for traditional students! We recognize

that many adult students have increased responsibilities as compared

to most traditional students. C.O.R.E trips are offered primarily on

weekends to help combat hectic schedules. We offer trips such as

mountain biking, backpacking, skydiving, white water rafting and

more.

Because we do not allow nonstudents the ability to go on trips, the

opportunity also exists for you to rent, at reasonable prices, all the gear

necessary to go mountain biking, camping/backpacking, snow shoeing/

cross country skiing on your own. We can also assist you in planning

your weekend with access to trail maps. This is a very cost effective way

for the whole family to enjoy an adventure trip without breaking the

bank.

Students interested in trips or rentals should contact the C.O.R.E office

located in the Pogue Student Center Climbing Gym at 814-732-2942

from 2:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., Sunday – Friday or borocore@gmail.com

anytime!

FOCUS ON ADULT STUDENT

SCHOLARSHIPS

RICHARD J. AND JOYCE M. GROMEN SCHOLARSHIP

Dr. Richard J. Gromen

dedicated 34 years of his

life to the students of

Edinboro University as a

professor of history. The

Richard J. and Joyce M.

Gromen scholarship is

intended to provide

recognition, motivation,

and support to non-

traditional students

majoring in History.

Last academic year,

Edinboro University adult

students received

$83,301 in Edinboro

scholarships.

Adult students Laura Tepe (Middle/Secondary English) and Andrea Festa

(Environmental Geology) skydiving in Grove City, PA with fellow Edinboro

University students at an April 13, 2013 CORE Adventure Weekend trip.

A NEWSLETTER FOR

EDINBORO

UNIVERSITY‟S ADULT

STUDENT

POPULATION.

New Leaf is published each fall and

spring by the Office of Adult Student

Services. The purpose of the

newsletter is to provide information

pertinent to Edinboro University‟s

adult student population.

Our Mission:

The mission of Edinboro University‟s

Office of Adult Student Services is to

empower prospective and current

adult learners to meet and exceed

their educational goals through

supportive programs and

individualized services that remove

barriers to their success.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? CONT...

About her job, Lori says “I love working with the injured workers and have been

really lucky to have the clientele that I do. It is such an amazing feeling when I

close a file and the worker has returned to their job and full life. Seeing their

progress and working with their family gives me such great satisfaction that it

can‟t be compared to anything else.”

About her education at Edinboro, she says "The education provided by both my

undergraduate and graduate programs have proven invaluable to obtaining my

dream job. It never ceases to amaze me how my educational experience has

created such a well-rounded background to be able to connect with and reach

each of my assigned clients in unique ways. I was taught to think „outside the

box‟ which has helped me think and react in critical ways which are needed in

my field. The one defining piece of advice I would have for adult students of

Edinboro is to get involved on campus. The unique complications adult

students face on a day-to-day basis creates a divide between the individual roles

as adult and student. But it is possible to find ways to become involved in

student life which will enhance your learning experience in more ways than you

can imagine!"

Adult Student Services

405 Scotland Road

211 Pogue Student Center

Edinboro, PA 16444

Phone: 814-732-2701

Fax: 814-732-2909

E-mail: adultstudents@edinboro.edu

http://adult.edinboro.edu

DID YOU

KNOW? Adult students aged

25 and older account

for 41% of enrollment

in degree-granting

institutions.

Over 50% of all adult

college students work

part- or full-time.

There are more

women in college

today than men.

Professors enjoy

teaching adult

students and adult

students often get

high grades.

The most common fears

among adult students are:

taking tests, not being able to

compete with traditional-

aged students, feeling like a

misfit, and not being able to

afford college.

The enrollment of

adult students is

increasing at a higher

rate than traditional-

aged students.

Information taken from: National Center for Education Statistics. (2012). Fast Facts. Retrieved from

http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=98 Siebert, A., Gilpin, B. & Karr, M. (2008). The Adult Student’s Guide to Survival & Success. Portland: Practical Psychology Press.