91吃瓜网

By Joe McGasko

When Dorene Cartwright first considered returning to school after many years, she wasn鈥檛 confident of success.

鈥淚 didn鈥檛 think I could do it. I was very unsure of myself,鈥� she remembered.

Despite her trepidation, Cartwright 鈥� married and a mother of three children听鈥� soon discovered that taking baby steps worked at at 91吃瓜网 just as it had worked for motherhood.

鈥淲hat I did was take one class,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I was able to do that! Then I took on two classes. I was able to do that, so I took three classes鈥︹�� Soon, Cartwright was a fixture on the Adelphi campus, taking classes all year round. She is now less than a year away from completing her graduate degree in teaching.

The process began simply enough.

鈥淚鈥檇 gotten married, had my children, but always felt that something was missing,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f I spoke to people who had gone to school, I always felt like 鈥業 wish I had that.鈥� That鈥檚 why I went back, and once I started, I didn鈥檛 stop.鈥�

The decision went against how Cartwright had been raised. She, like most of her friends, had decided not to go to college after graduating from high school.

鈥淢y teachers didn鈥檛 really inspire me to go to college, and my parents didn鈥檛 push me,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 go to college and didn鈥檛 think it was necessary. They thought I should just get married.鈥�

Cartwright did get married, but she never lost interest in further education. While raising her kids and helping her husband with his contracting business, she got a job as a teacher鈥檚 assistant. Her joy in being a T.A. led directly to her decision to return to school in 2008.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 when I decided 鈥楾his is what I want to do,鈥欌�� she recalled. 鈥淚 said to myself, 鈥業 want to go back and teach鈥�.鈥�

Her day job in the Elmont School District made joining curriculum impossible, so Cartwright enrolled in University College for night and weekend classes.

鈥淚t actually worked out better because UC is more accelerated, so I was able to go through my undergrad courses a bit quicker in order to go on to the master鈥檚,鈥� she said. 鈥淓veryone at UC is very helpful and it worked out really well.鈥�

As Cartwright pursued her M.A. in Childhood Education, she saw some familiar faces around the Adelphi campus. Her son William finished his B.A. in liberal arts at Adelphi this past December, and her daughter Kathryn is currently enrolled in STEP, also en route to a master鈥檚 in education. Cartwright and her daughter even took a couple of classes together.

鈥淭hey would often come across me on campus,鈥� she laughed.

When she finishes her student teaching next August, Cartwright can certainly look back with pride on what she has accomplished, at home and at school.

鈥淓veryone鈥檚 like, 鈥業t鈥檚 gone so fast!鈥� I鈥檓 like, 鈥楴o, it hasn鈥檛!鈥� But my friends, colleagues, and family have kept me going. It鈥檚 been challenging, but so rewarding.鈥�