It wouldn't be out of the ordinary to see Karen Laskowski using her laptop in the doctor's office waiting room, or even out on the open water in her family's boat.
She is one of many dedicated students in Penn State's online associate in human development and family studies program. "I am very motivated and love to learn. This program has allowed me to excel and it is done at my convenience," she says.
After completing her associate degree, Karen plans to continue on for her bachelor's degree with the hope of one day working in medical research at Penn State's Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
"The program has given me the opportunity to pursue my dreams of being able to help others. I would love to continue doing that working in gerontology research or in the human services field." She credits the program's outstanding faculty with helping to foster her love of learning. "When someone stops and says you're doing a good job, it really feels special."
Karen receives a lot of support from her family – many of whom are also Penn Staters. Her sister, Darlene Woychick, is a World Campus student, and her daughter Heather attends Penn State Wilkes-Barre. "My sister referred me to the World Campus," she says. "We only live about 15 minutes from each other, so we can get together to work on assignments."
