Life can change in a flash, and the path that you’ve carved out for yourself can suddenly veer in new directions, bringing anxiety and uncertainty that can be difficult to overcome.

Ricardo Fogel’s life took an unexpected turn in December 2012 while he was working at a construction site. He spent the day constructing a water well and hauling heavy wooden boards and drill bits around the site. At the end of the day, he remembers having trouble walking or standing on both feet.

“Learning is a continuous process,” explains Quinette Covington, a medical professional and small business owner whose academic path doesn’t have a defined endpoint. Because of her relentless pursuit of knowledge, she fits the definition of a lifelong learner.

Onalee Devereaux is not afraid to push herself. The 25-year-old spent six years in the military before signing up for duty as a police officer, investigator, and investigative support technician. But intellectual curiosity and a desire to reach her full potential prompted Onalee to head back to school and pursue a college education.

“I think it is most people’s goal to become the best version of themselves,” she explains. “Earning a degree helps us grow toward this goal in many ways – it’s not just book smarts.” 

For Nakia Bennett, the pursuit of a college degree began as a means to a good career. But after the U.S. Army veteran was designated as disabled in 2010, a degree became a personal goal.

Nakia’s first attempt at college started in 2001, shortly after he got out of the Army. It was not easy to fit college into his busy life though. Nakia was working full-time, and he was sent overseas three times as a civilian contractor, including a stint in Kuwait in 2003 when the United States declared war on Iraq.

Once she started attending college, Mikayla Wombacher discovered an unexpected passion for learning. At Ashford University*, she is following that passion to earn a degree and set herself up for a gratifying career.

“I began my college career directly after graduating high school in May of 2013 and began college in August 2013,” Mikayla says. “I have always really liked school and have always done well, but when I started college, I began to excel and found a passion for learning.”

After graduating from his suburban Detroit high school in 1983, Matthew S. Urdan’s path forward seemed pretty clear. He was accepted to the University of Michigan, where he would begin working toward his goal of becoming a pediatrician. But Matthew’s father had other ideas.

Marquis Arnold has a story to tell. In fact, he has a lot of them. This grad has been working on a film script and recently finished up a children’s book about a dinosaur named Julius titled “Finding My Way Home.”

“The screenplay I’m writing is called ‘Tomorrow Was Never Promised to Us,’ and it’s a faith-based movie. I am almost done with it,” explains Marquis. Inspired by a religious movie he watched called “War Room,” Marquis has been working on the screenplay since the summer of 2018.

MBA student, designer, and published children’s author Lauren Marie Lombardo has mastered the art of traveling. An NYC native who originally graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2011 from another institution, Lauren has spent the last several years teaching painting classes and holding art camps in Italy and is now fluent in the Italian language. 

A proud mother of three children, Kimberly Sontag deferred her college aspirations to focus on raising her family. But as her children grew up, Kimberly began looking ahead to the next milestones in her life, and she knew it was finally time to fulfill her college dreams.

Living in the small town of Okeechobee, Florida — which boasts a population of less than 6,000 people — Kathryn O’Neal’s options for higher education were a bit limited. She’d had her daughter Hailey at a relatively young age and from the time Kathryn was 20, she’d attempted to go back to college multiple times. 

But the fact that she had to drive at least one hour each way to go to classes made fitting everything in nearly impossible.