Catherine Krostek:  

I'll start my story from when I lost my job about 5 years ago. I had to sell my house and move in with parents because I couldn't get an interview for a job at the same salary I was making after working 25 years, without a college education. I was on unemployment and found out that I could either go to another technical school, or I could get a Tuition Waiver for an Associates Degree. I chose Bergen Community College because it was close, and I heard that it was a good college, although I wasn't so sure about that, but I didn't have time to check out other colleges so BCC it was. When I started in January of 2006, I was very impressed with the faculty and the quality of the education you could receive if you applied yourself, so I dug in right away. I graduated high school with a solid B average without applying myself very much. Many times, I did my homework in the class before the class where it was due. I hardly ever took my books home, and I even remember sleeping in some of my mid-morning classes because I never got enough sleep. I surprised myself when I got five A's the first semester and made the Dean's List, the Honors List, and was invited to be a member of Phi Theta Kappa, BCC's international honor society. I decided I was going to keep up the pace, though it wasn't easy. My husband became disabled at 40 years old and I have been the breadwinner for the last 11 years in addition to taking care of the house, both inside and out since he became ill. Anyway, I worked part-time at the college, and finished my degree in two years with 91 credits (I changed my major 5 times). I graduated with a 3.983 average. I was disappointed because I got a B+ in an honors class during the last semester. But nevertheless, what a turn-around ...Expand for more