Member Spotlight: Shauna Bere, Fall 2015 Inductee

My name is Shauna H. Bere and I am a senior at UMUC. I work full-time at a local hospital as an administrative assistant to the director of the in-patient and cancer center pharmacies. I enjoy time with my family, my fur babies, and my friends. I have an associate's degree in Photography from Brigham Young University-Idaho. I started by bachelor's degree in 1998 at Brigham Young University in Utah. In the academic year 1999-2000 I was diagnosed with a life threatening illness that derailed my university experience. When I left for college my personal goals were "when I graduated with my bachelor's degree," not "if I graduated." This unexpected challenge caused a great deal of stress and disappointment for me. When one of those monumental birthdays approached over a decade later I asked myself, "what was missing, what hadn't I done, what was a tick in the back of my brain?" I discovered it was my unfinished academic pursuit. I'd always regretted having to leave college and not finishing.

There is a quote I found inspiring by Neil Gaiman about this topic: "Whatever it takes to finish things, finish. You will learn more from a glorious failure than you ever will from something you never finished."

When I was young I didn't have an attitude of academic competitiveness. My grades were mediocre, but since picking up education in my adulthood I have achieved more than I ever could have imagined academically. Now, I have a 3.93 GPA and I am just 6 classes from finishing by bachelor's degree in Humanities. Upon completion of my degree, I plan to reward myself with a trip to Greece and to continue in my current position.

I feel like a champion in my own life. I was scared, but determined. My determination led me to understand more about myself than I previously understood. My educational journey has been about enlightenment.