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May 2007
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ALUMNI NEWS |
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Mom Enrolls at AU with Children, Finishing Bachelor’s Degree After
30 Years
Margaret White does not visit the AU campus in order to see her daughter, Cyrelle White '08; she comes to take classes. Margaret started her college career 30 years ago at Central Missouri State and has been working toward her bachelor’s degree ever since. Although born and raised in York, England, Margaret has lived as a global nomad while her husband, whom she met in Germany, was stationed and re-stationed through the U.S. Army. When her oldest son, Bradley, SPA/BA ’99, came to AU, the family was living in Hawaii. When her second oldest son, Tristan, CAS/BS ’05, enrolled, they were living in San Antonio. When Cyrelle, her youngest child, decided to join the family legacy at AU, they were just about to leave San Antonio for the D.C. area. It was when Margaret and her husband moved to Maryland in August 2004 that she decided to finish the degree she started decades ago. She chose AU because all her children were enrolled at some point. Her daughter, Cyrelle, was going into her sophomore year at the time. Margaret began classes the summer after Tristan graduated, transferring in 74 eligible credits, and knows what it’s like to be a full-time student with few hours for relaxation. In addition to having a demanding courseload, Margaret watches her one-year-old granddaughter three days a week. Now, during her final semester in college, Margaret is taking the last two courses she needs—a German studies class and American Society on Stage and Screen—for her degree completion in liberal arts studies with a specialization in German culture and language. This time, it's Margaret's children who will be cheering her on at commencement on May 13. Margaret’s age didn’t scare her away from the classroom or into taking distance courses. She wanted the intimate class setting even if it was obvious that she was one of the oldest students in the group. “At first impulse when everyone sees me, they think I’m the instructor, but no, I’m a student,” she says. Cyrelle, 20, has no complaints about her mom attending AU with her, mainly because the two have a close relationship. In fact, Cyrelle has taken classes with her mom and found it to be helpful grade-wise. “That’s the secret,” she laughs. “If you want a good GPA, go to school with your mom.” When the two were in the same finite math and Latin American history courses, they made a good team, studying and working through difficult math problems together. “I think the professors knew we were related, but I’m not sure because we didn’t tell them,” says Cyrelle, a German language and area studies major. “I don’t know if we look alike. I don’t think people would usually put us together if they saw us around campus.” College has been a unique experience for Cyrelle, who shared an apartment with Tristan while he was still an undergrad. Just recently, she helped Bradley, whose wife is a master’s student at AU, by participating in a mock trial to prepare him for his May graduation from WCL. Cyrelle is also very active in the AU community. She is the lifestyle editor for AU’s student-run magazine, am word; she has worked at the Career Center and plans to again this summer; and she was part of the gospel choir for two years. Cyrelle will also be the last of the White family to graduate from AU. The family’s legacy at AU created a special bond to the campus that not many other families replicate. To show their commitment to the university, Cyrelle jokes, “We need a building named after us.” -Tara Shlimowitz ‘08 | |||
