{"id":26148,"date":"2013-12-09T10:22:36","date_gmt":"2013-12-09T14:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=26148"},"modified":"2014-01-31T14:12:48","modified_gmt":"2014-01-31T18:12:48","slug":"over-1700-students-to-graduate-at-fall-commencement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2013\/12\/09\/over-1700-students-to-graduate-at-fall-commencement\/","title":{"rendered":"Over 1,700 students to graduate at Fall Commencement"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

The Fall Commencement class included applicants for 1,052 bachelor\u2019s degrees, 570 master\u2019s degrees and 113 other degrees and certificates.<\/p><\/div>\n

Wright State graduates will celebrate their accomplishments, and those of a university that prides itself on extending the ladder of educational opportunity, during the 2013 Fall Commencement on Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Nutter Center.<\/p>\n

President David R. Hopkins will commend the 1,735 students who applied for degrees, certificates or endorsements before they receive their diplomas. They will help expand the educational level of the Dayton-area workforce and become part of an increasingly competitive American job culture that is expected to require a career certificate or college degree for 59 percent of jobs by 2020.<\/p>\n

The Fall Commencement class included graduates ranging in age from 20 to 67, including 146 international students from 25 nations. The international graduates included natives of Burkina Faso, Ghana, Iran, Israel, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Syria, Togo and Vietnam.<\/p>\n

The graduating class included applicants for 1,052 bachelor\u2019s degrees, 570 master\u2019s degrees and 113 other degrees and certificates.<\/p>\n

Many graduates have interesting stories to tell of their road to a degree.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Grace Curell: An MBA at 20 Sure Beats the Prom<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Grace Curell completed her associate degree with a 3.9 grade-point average, earned her liberal studies undergraduate degree from Wright State with a 3.8 GPA and compiled a 3.9 postgraduate GPA while finishing her MBA.<\/p><\/div>\n

Somehow, after earning a master\u2019s degree by age 20, missing the high school prom doesn\u2019t seem like such a big deal to Grace Curell.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had to grow up faster, but I\u2019m glad for that,\u201d Curell said.<\/p>\n

Curell fared well academically while in high school but felt \u201cfrustrated and bored\u201d with the classroom atmosphere. She read The Economist<\/em> during class, battled health issues and found herself more motivated to work with horses at Celebration Farm than to complete her homework. Prior to her junior year, Curell told her parents she wanted to drop out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey weren\u2019t thrilled,\u201d Curell admitted, \u201cbut I told them, \u2018Wait, hear me out. I have a plan.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

The plan that unfolded over the next two years eventually included classes at Sinclair Community College through Ohio\u2019s Postsecondary Enrollment Option, obtaining her GED, and enrolling in Sinclair classes that would translate to Wright State credits.<\/p>\n

Curell completed her associate degree with a 3.9 grade-point average, earned her liberal studies undergraduate degree from Wright State with a 3.8 GPA and compiled a 3.9 postgraduate GPA while finishing her MBA. Her bachelor\u2019s degree was actually finished before her associate\u2019s degree was completed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t do anything normally,\u201d Curell admitted.<\/p>\n

Wright State\u2019s diverse academic offerings allowed Curell to not always approach her class schedule in a normal sequence. She took several elective courses for personal enrichment, including an art class that proved to be \u201cone of the most interesting courses I\u2019ve ever taken.\u201d<\/p>\n

Doing things her way also led to quick job placement. Curell has been hired as a financial management analyst at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy college experience was so enjoyable,\u201d Curell said. \u201cI once saw college as just something that was necessary, but I ended up loving Wright State. I\u2019m very happy with the choices I\u2019ve made.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Debbie Garber: Employee to Student to Graduate<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Debbie Garber began pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2004, soon after being hired by the College of Science and Mathematics as administrative support coordinator for student services.<\/p><\/div>\n

Debbie Garber admits her \u201clifetime learner\u2019s\u201d journey to a college degree has been a long one, but a road well worth traveling.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always realized the value of an education,\u201d Garber said. \u201cI don\u2019t think that, at my age, getting a degree will drastically affect my life. But it is fulfilling that I was able to accomplish it and I feel that finishing what I start helps me be a good role model for my sons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Garber began pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 2004, soon after being hired by the College of Science and Mathematics as administrative support coordinator for student services.<\/p>\n

But, first, she had to overcome her fear of math.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt had been 30 years since I took high school algebra, and I could not find a degree where I could bypass math,\u201d Garber said. \u201cI was a permanent fixture in the math help room and the supplemental instruction classes. At home, I would ask anyone in my house for help \u2026 at any hour.\u201d<\/p>\n

The psychology classes came a little easier. People have always fascinated Garber, she said, and she wished to broaden her knowledge of human behavior.<\/p>\n

Garber limited her academic load to one or two classes per semester, allowing her to concentrate completely on those classes while also juggling work and family obligations.<\/p>\n

Her eventual reward was a college degree\u00ad\u2013and a three-week family vacation to Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is so much value in a Wright State education, Garber said, \u201cand I appreciate this so much more than I would have when I was younger.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wright State graduates will celebrate their accomplishments, and those of a university that prides itself on extending the ladder of educational opportunity, during the 2013 Fall Commencement on Saturday, Dec. 14, at the Nutter Center. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":26150,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,733,729,748,743,2060,2017,744,725,2045,747,2016,715,746,719],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-alumni","category-around-campus","category-business","category-engineering-computer-science","category-graduate","category-nursing-health","category-education-human-services","category-home-news-sidebar","category-honors-program","category-liberal-arts","category-medicine","category-news","category-science-mathematics","category-special-categories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26148"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27283,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26148\/revisions\/27283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}