After twenty years in the Navy, I wasn’t sure what direction my life was going.  I always wanted to go to college, but as a Navy Air Traffic Controller and single mother, I could find neither the time nor the dedication necessary for academic success.  After retiring from the Navy, I struggled with setting goals and maintaining a sense of purpose.  I still thought about an education, but felt both intimidated and unprepared financially to return to college.  With the guidance of Coastal’s Veterans Affairs Office, I was able to receive Post 9-11 GI Bill benefits, and then there was nothing holding me back.

With assistance from Coastal’s excellent student services personnel, the availability of Coastal’s night classes, which enabled me to continue working, and the encouragement and inspiration of Coastal’s faculty, today, at fifty-two, I have attained more than educational success.  Through my Coastal Carolina Community College experience and with the personal attention that I have received from the dedicated instructors at Coastal, I have achieved a sense of accomplishment in my work, learned useful study habits, and found fulfillment in being the best that I can be.  I have now earned 54 credits with a cumulative 4.0 GPA.