Appreciating graduate studies

We value graduate studies because we gain knowledge through coursework in particular fields of study. We also value graduate studies because we learn how to learn and we are transformed by that learning in order to change the world around us. I also realize that my graduate studies are having a valuable impact on my family and specifically, my daughters. When composing a scholarship application recently, I had the chance to reflect more on this idea. What follows is an excerpt from that application:

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Proverbs 22:6

During my childhood, both my father and mother returned to school for graduate studies in Theology and Nursing, respectively. My memories of their academic experiences are surely selective because I recall none of the stress that was undoubtedly produced by their efforts to balance parenthood, full-time work in their professional fields, and doctoral and master’s level studies.

I do recall accompanying my mother on the MARTA bus to downtown Atlanta to attend a class with her one day. (Perhaps it was a teacher workday at my school but not a day off from her class.) She made the day all about an adventure, packing us a lunch and a “do-it” bag to keep me quiet during the professor’s lecture. I remember being wide-eyed at the huge university building and classrooms and very keen about the grown-ups who were also in school just like my mom. This particular experience, as well as the distinct memories of my parent’s graduation ceremonies, were formative for me and I pondered them specifically when deciding to apply to graduate school at VCU.

In addition to seeking an academic credential in business and human resources to supplement my professional experience, I desired the curriculum at VCU because I knew it would provide a witness to my own two daughters about the value of higher education. During the course of my graduate studies, my daughters will see me pack many a school night “dinner” and make many a trek from our home in Williamsburg to Richmond (thankfully not via public transportation). I don’t know if they will ever attend a class with me but they will certainly hear about the colleagues and professors I meet, the endless journal articles to read, and each next challenging project to complete.

As I blocked the memories of stress and filtered through the value of perseverance from my parents’ experience in graduate school, I hope that my daughters will carry forth the value of lifelong learning from my VCU experience.