Student Spotlight

After serving in the army for more than twenty years, Sharon Boose is preparing for a new assignment. She will be making the transition from soldier to teacher while still filling the roles of mother, minister, and wife. Before enrolling in Penn State's online master's degree in adult education program, Sharon was worried about being what she calls a "marketable soldier" in the civilian workplace. She now has the confidence she needs for a successful job search. "I might not be as young as some of the other people applying for jobs, but I bring twenty years of experience and a Penn State degree to the table."

Penn State's online program allows Sharon to earn a degree from an accredited and widely recognized school without giving up time with her family. "I was single for most of my adult life, so I was really able to focus on my career," she says. "Now that I am married and have a 2-year-old daughter, I can take classes without having to be away from them."

Sharon plans to graduate in May and feels confident about beginning the next chapter of her life when she retires from the army. She would like to teach and counsel other adult learners and also hopes to open a center for battered and abused women in the Fayetteville, North Carolina, area. "I would like to take all of the great experience Penn State has given me and put it to use at another program," she says. "I knew that if I got my degree in education, I could get the counseling certification later and manage my own shelter."