78 seniors receive their degrees at KSUA fall commencement

By STACY MILLBERG - Staff Writer - smillberg@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon

December 13, 2008 12:58 am

— ASHTABULA — Kent State University-Ashtabula campus graduated 78 students at its fall commencement ceremony Friday evening.
Dean Susan Stocker said each of the students went through his or her own personal trials and challenges to get to this point. For many, they are the first in their families to graduate from college. Many of them worked part-time or full-time jobs while completing their degrees, and others raised families, she said.
“This day is what it is all about,” Stocker said.
Friday marked a milestone for KSUA as well, as six graduates of the first Occupational Therapy class received their degrees. Speaking on behalf of the class was Lori Hale. She said when she decided five years ago to pursue a degree in occupational therapy, there were no schools within a 60-mile radius of Ashtabula County. She applied at a school in Cleveland, and the day she got her acceptance letter, she learned KSUA was starting a program. She decided to hold off until that program began.
“OT was my dream,” she said. “Who knew earning an associate’s degree was going to be so difficult. Who knew being the first class in the program was going to be such a challenge. We were the lab rats, the guinea pigs.”
Hale said she and her five classmates developed a bond. They all had the same classes, had breaks at the same time, studied together, laughed together and cried together. Now, Friday, they graduated together.
“The thing I learned most about my college experience is there’s always more to learn,” she said.
Tresa Cunningham was selected as the class representative to speak. She spoke about her fears of attending college and the four-step action plan she developed to conquer those fears. The first step is to focus on the present moment. The second step is to find out what or who energizes you. The third step is to accept the fact that failure is a part of life, and the final step is to recognize your accomplishments, no matter how big or small, she said.
“Great successes are great risks to be taken,” Cunningham said. “To succeed big, you have to take big risks.”
Delivering the commencement address was Jayne Ann Colin-Currie who told her story of how it took her 43 years to obtain her degree. Colin-Currie is a local travel agent who has been in business for 25 years. She told her fellow classmates of the challenges she went through to get where she is today.
“When you reach your aha moment, you can begin your story,” she said.

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