It’s all Madeline’s fault. About two years ago, my daughter Madeline invited me to come with her to a presentation explaining the Albright Degree Completion Program (DCP). She had been looking for a way to continue her full-time job and still acquire her bachelor’s degree in a reasonable amount of time. She wanted my view of the program.

We had both received our associate degrees from Harrisburg Area Community College, “HACC” (a few years apart). I had picked up courses here and there but never completed all the requirements for a bachelor’s degree. The demands of family and job prevented my going full time and I had spent far too much time commuting to evening programs for that to attract me— so I shelved the dream for myself. But I certainly wanted Madeline to achieve it.

As I listened to Dr. Jerry Lee explain Albright’s technology-based program designed for the working professional, I became intrigued. “Wow, Madeline, this is great! One night a week, a computer to use, faculty from a small liberal arts college—if I were ten years younger, I’d do it.” She said, “Why not now, Mom?” And I was hooked.

The next few months are a confusing memory to me. HACC had to go into deep search to find my transcript in some dusty archive. I discovered the wonderfulness of life experience. I received credits for singing ten years with the Hershey Chorus. My ten years training as a realtor and broker—that counted too! Unlike my daughter, I had no credits to make up! Speaking of confusion, I was initiated to the wonders of PHEA, the state financial aid system. As the owner of a small company, I keep wondering how we would stay in business if we sent five different account statements to our client on the same day!

Madeline’s field of choice was Human Resources (Business Psychology), mine, Business Administration. We went to school on different nights but we shared some of the same instructors. There were times we each felt like tossing in the towel, but we were able to share gripes and support each other. I soon found that I had to put in about twice the study time as she to achieve the same grade.

We learned a new and apt name for our classmates, “our cohort”. My cohort and I would be together for the entire 18 months of the program. I was old enough to be mother to most of them but I soon realized that we were all “different” in one way or another, representing widely varying backgrounds. As adults sharing a new and challenging learning experience, we learned as much from each other as we did from our instructors. The instructors, too, were being tested by the diversification of their students and had to “think outside of the box” to fit the course work requirements into the DCP construct without sacrificing quality education.

In deciding to meet the challenge, I overlooked my secret fear: oral presentations. It soon became that 500-pound gorilla I could not ignore. If I’d known how crucial speech making was to my success or failure at Albright, I probably would not have become a senior citizen student. Who was I kidding?

For years I’d found ways to get around public speaking. In business, my partner (my husband) was very at ease in public and happily performed presentations, many of which I had written. But, there was no getting around it at Albright! Why did I let Madeline talk me into this?
My first presentation was an assignment in the use of PowerPoint. I spent hours in preparation, until I almost had it memorized. I confided my fear to my cohort and they assured me I would do fine. Easy for you to say, I thought.

As I stood up, I prayed that when I opened my mouth a recognizable voice would come out, that I wouldn’t shake so much that I couldn’t control the mouse and, finally, that I wouldn’t make a complete fool of myself! I have no memory of delivering that presentation. When I came to myself, back in my seat, my cohort was smiling! The instructor was smiling! I did it!

As the course work became more challenging, there were other presentation assignments that were more difficult, but the knowledge that I did it once sustained me and I knew I could do it again. I even found, to my great surprise that my instructors thought I was pretty good at it! If it weren’t for Madeline’s challenge and Albright, I’d never have had the courage to find that out.

So you see it was Madeline’s fault.

— Ellen Wood ’01, Harrisburg, Pa.