Squeezing School In As a Top Priority

(This article originally appeared on the Daily Titan)

Jegatha Raju loves to learn. So much that the 60-year-old grandmother travels two bus lines to get from her Garden Grove home to her classes at California State University, Fullerton. She started with a few business and accounting classes, but now Raju is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in human services and plans to earn her master’s degree.

“I wanted to give myself higher education,” Raju said. “I wanted to see how it goes, and I just couldn’t quit.”

Raju, who learned English as a second language, is one of the growing number of students returning to college in their 30’s, 40’s and beyond. The latest statistics from the U.S. Department of Education show that 40 percent of college students are 25 years or older, a 10 percent increase over a 10 year span.

According to the CSUF Adult Reentry Center, 15 percent of students enrolled at CSUF are over 30. Some, like Raju, return to college for personal fulfillment, while others seek to change careers or update their skills for the job market. Most find the rewards far outweigh the challenges.

Kristen Herrin, 29, returned to CSUF this semester for economic reasons. Her husband lost his job last year, and although he is currently working, their income was cut in half. A mother of two young sons, she hopes to earn her degree in child and adolescent development and become a substitute teacher by the time her 4-year-old is in kindergarten.

“If I had it my way, I’d stay home with my kids, but it’s just not going to happen,” Herrin said. “With the kids in preschool, now, we have so much more on our plate than we had two years ago.”

Herrin often does homework past midnight. Exhausted much of the time, she said focusing on her goal and the financial benefits it will bring her family keeps her motivated.

“In a year from now I’ll be done and I’ll be thinking, ‘look at all the options I have now,’” she said.

Motivation is one of the hallmarks of the adult student, Catherine VanRiette, Adult Reentry Coordinator at CSUF, said.

“These students are driven. They want to be here,” VanRiette said. “The motivation is different when you are older. This time it’s for them.”

VanRiette facilitates a weekly “Student Success Workshop” at the Adult Reentry Center on campus. Her goal is to help adult students have a rewarding and less frustrating experience, she said.

At a recent workshop, topics included math anxiety, writing term papers and test-taking skills. The mood was positive, the discussion lively.

“Know your learning style! Get your mind engaged! Confidence plays a big part in your success!” VanRiette counseled the participants throughout the session. “And don’t over think the test questions, or you’ll talk yourself out of the right answer.”

The participants nodded in agreement.

Some of the issues discussed were handling stress, managing their time and developing self-confidence.

“Adult students have a tendency to be hard on themselves,” VanRiette said. “They expect they should be able to handle everything, but often there is not enough time. They tend to be nervous about what they forgot since the last time they were in school. We give them tips to organize their time, organize their thoughts.”

Learning to manage her time has been crucial for Rosa Heckenberg, 55. The full-time sociology major juggles family, volunteering on the CSUF diversity program and serving on the parent advisory board at San Diego State, where her two children attend school.

Heckenberg explained how she balances her roles and responsibilities.

“I set realistic priorities, and I know how many hours I need to study so I cut out my social time,” she explained.

And she tries not let the stress get to her either.

“The times when I feel overwhelmed with homework, I try to relax,” Heckenberg said. “I’m very careful about resting enough. I exercise every morning. If I don’t take time for myself, I can’t work.”
The women said that raising their families and economics are reasons they put off getting a degree.

“I was a single mom until I was 30,” Anna Lonetti, a human services major, said. “So there was no way, financially, I could go back to school.”

Lonetti, 40, worked full-time at the same job for 15 years. An industry strike four years ago made her re-evaluate her priorities and, with the blessings of her husband and three children, she decided to make the change.

She chose CSUF because she heard good things about it and it was close to home – a big plus when you have a family, she added.

And she said she’s excited to be back.

“This is my last shot at getting my education,” she said. “If I don’t finish now, I’ll never do it.”

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Credit: Jennifer Karmarkar, a student and freelance writer who covers diversity and

women’s issues.  She lives in Orange County, California.