{"id":4387,"date":"2020-12-14T05:09:12","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T05:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/the-kiosk-clone.local\/?p=4387"},"modified":"2025-06-19T17:16:29","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T17:16:29","slug":"age-is-just-a-number-studying-at-sps-later-in-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/openlab.sps.cuny.edu\/the-kiosk\/age-is-just-a-number-studying-at-sps-later-in-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Age is Just a Number: Studying at SPS Later in Life"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Age is Just a Number: Studying at SPS Later in Life<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Nimeh Ahmad || December 14, 2020<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Kimberly Welborn, 61, is a costume designer and owns a health consultant practice. She is currently working towards a BA in liberal studies.  Photo credit: Kimberly Welborn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Lisa Sheridan used to be a little ashamed about not having a bachelor\u2019s degree as an adult. \u201cIt was kind of like a skeleton in my closet,\u201d she said. \u201cIf it came up at parties, I wouldn\u2019t talk about the fact that I hadn\u2019t gone to college. I would quickly change the subject.\u201d Sheridan had always wanted to get her degree, but found it difficult to balance working full time in the fashion industry while attending classes at night. Only later in life, after discovering her passion for writing, did she think about going back to school: \u201cI started thinking about writing as an exit plan,\u201d she said, \u201cI knew I would have to have a degree if I wanted to be a writer and be taken seriously.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With online learning, earning her degree became easier. Sheridan, founder of The Kiosk, graduated last May from CUNY SPS with a degree in communication and media. She turned 60 last month.  Sheridan is not alone. According to CUNY SPS, 25% of all undergraduate students enrolled in the school last year were over the age of 40, with more than 100 of them being over the age of 50. \u201cOur oldest graduate earned an MA in Labor Studies at the age of 82 years, 8 months and 21 days,\u201d said Jennifer G. Lee, Associate Dean of Enrollment Management and Student Services at the school.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Lisa Sheridan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Many students at CUNY SPS have different reasons for going back to school later in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

George Athanassiou, 53, wanted to shift out of the financial services industry which he worked in for 25 years. He started looking ahead to his retirement years, and decided he wanted to start teaching at the university level: \u201cI came back to CUNY SPS to kind of get the educational credentials I\u2019m going to need in order to pursue that career change.\u201d  Athanassiou completed his bachelor\u2019s degree, and is currently pursuing his master\u2019s in business management and leadership at the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other students realized they needed a degree to advance their careers. Yesblet Fernandez,  worked as the vice president of HSBC Bank for many years, but realized that the lack of a bachelor\u2019s degree was keeping her from getting promoted to higher positions. \u201cIf they\u2019re looking at two candidates with similar work experience and one has the bachelor\u2019s, they will go for the bachelor\u2019s degree,\u201d she said. Fernandez has since left her position at the bank and is focusing on finishing her bachelor\u2019s in communication and media. She hopes to graduate this December at the age of 41.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
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Yesblet Fernandez, 41, is a Communications and Media Major at SPS. Photo Credit : Yesbelt Fernandez<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

There are perks to being an older student. Kimberly Welborn, 61, is working on her bachelor\u2019s in liberal studies at CUNY SPS. She says older students are highly focused: \u201cOlder students typically have a clear purpose for being in school \u2013 a promotion, pay raise, or career change or advancement, so we are often more highly motivated, especially to get through the process quickly.\u201d Welborn worked as a costume designer for many years, while owning a natural health consulting practice and homeschooling four children. She expects to go on to earn a master\u2019s degree and then teach at the university level. Welborn also hopes a master\u2019s degree will help her start a fair-trade coalition of women\u2019s sewing cooperatives in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the advantages, older students sacrifice a lot to go back to school. Adrienne Malone, 48, is doing her master\u2019s in business while raising a family and working full time \u201cI stay up late nights. I wake up early mornings still to go to work,\u201d she said. Being a full time employee and a full time student, Malone used the weekends to catch up on her schoolwork. \u201cIt does sometimes hinder your family life balance,\u201d she said, \u201cwhen I registered for grad school, my children cried.\u201d Malone, who works as a career advisor and trainer, hopes to have her own human relations firm after she graduates. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Adrienne Malone, 48, is pursuing her master\u2019s in business at the school while raising a family. Photo Credit: Adrienne Malone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

She offers words of advice for others in her shoes: \u201cDon\u2019t give up. There is no expiration date on education.\u201d  The sentiment is echoed by many other older students who feel at home at CUNY SPS. Perhaps Sheridan, founder of The Kiosk puts it best: \u201cGo for it. Don\u2019t be afraid to pursue your dreams\u2026four years goes so fast.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nimeh Ahmad || December 14, 2020 Lisa Sheridan used to be a little ashamed about not having a bachelor\u2019s degree as an adult. \u201cIt was kind of like a skeleton […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":230,"featured_media":7932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"portfolio_post_id":0,"portfolio_citation":"","portfolio_annotation":"","openlab_post_visibility":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[472],"ppma_author":[837],"class_list":["post-4387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-express-yourself","tag-cunysps-onlineba-nationalranking-usatoday-highered","has-thumbnail"],"yoast_head":"\nAge is Just a Number: Studying at SPS Later in Life - The Kiosk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lisa Sheridan used to be a little ashamed about not having a bachelor\u2019s degree as an adult. \u201cIt was kind of like a skeleton in my closet,\u201d she said. \u201cIf it came up at parties, I wouldn\u2019t talk about the fact that I hadn\u2019t gone to college. 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