Elana Aron

Originally featured in the newsletter prior to Spring 2007

As far as why I decided to attend college—it has always been a dream of mine to earn my degree. Both of my parents are professors, and when I married young and had children, I knew that one day I too would follow in my parents' footsteps.

I originally attended Douglass, but I needed the security of attending part-time. That is one of the reasons I chose to switch to UC. I also found the entire UC system to be adult-friendly. Attending Rutgers has been a dream come true, and as a nontraditional student, I believe that I'm gaining that much more. I appreciate every moment of learning, the remarkable professors, and the stimulating curriculum. I am now a UC honors student, as well as an English honors student, and I have been busy working on a thesis this summer.

I know that my children (ages 15, 14, 12, 8, and 7) are very proud of me, and when they see the time I put into my homework, they are (sometimes) inspired to do the same. I share my successes with them, and they see that hard work and commitment pay off. The best part is that I share Rutgers with them—they have seen the campus, gone into the library, and heard all about my many experiences on campus. I have heard them proudly tell their friends, "My mother goes to Rutgers."