If there were ever a time to pump up your resume and knowledge base through education, now is the time. But before the dismal economic wake-up call hit California, three women put their ages aside and decided it was time to take care of number one.

They went back to school, sat among twenty-somethings, and did their own homework instead of their kids’ – quite an adjustment to say the least, but well worth the time commitment involved.

“It is the best thing you can do for yourself, no matter what situation you come across,” said Patrice Burke, who went back to school at age 42. “You have to be a role model for your family on how to empower yourself and make a difference every day for them and your community.”

Burke has a lot of on her plate. She’s a mom of three kids ages 18, 15 and 8, going through a divorce, studying full-time at San Joaquin Delta College working towards an AA degree in business, and serves as senator of student advocacy for the Student Body Government on campus.

As senator, Burke helps students discover their dreams, just like she’s doing herself. However, as a re-entry adult student, challenges abound.

“Having enough time to clean, cook and be involved in activities is a challenge,” she said. “My children are very patient with me, with my need for homework time, as well as time for myself to just relax. Time management is the true challenge.”

Anne-Marie Orona of Stockton returned to school at age 41, after her 24-year-old niece talked her into it. She earned an A.S. Degree in business last May, and plans to transfer to a four-year college for her teaching credentials.

“The hardest part is making the decision that you are worth the time and effort to better your life,” said Orona. “You are never too old to go back to school.”

A wife of almost 11 years, and a mom of a soon-to-be 18-year-old, Orona takes care of her nine-month-old niece, is a full-time student at Delta, Vice-President of the ASBG at Delta, and works at home four hours a day.

Orona felt a tad self-conscious about going back to school at her age.

“When I went to my first class, I was embarrassed that I was old enough to be most of the students’ mother! One of the first things my instructor, Mrs. Lopez, said to me was, ‘you’ve got a better advantage than the rest of the students. You already know how hard it is to find a job, and you are fine-tuning your skills to go along with your experience,’” recalled Orona.

Valerie Novak of Ripon waited until her kids were grown before going back to school at age 50. With her experience raising her kids came knowledge and opportunity. She encourages others to expand their education.

“Women who have walked the roads of life raising children, navigating home responsibilities and working to keep it all together, are a vast resource of knowledge to the community,” said Novak, who now has four degrees from Delta, with plans to transfer when she’s financially able to. “Explore your strengths and develop them for your next career.”

As an older student who sometimes attended classes with her own grown children, Novak found advantages to learning side-by-side with a younger generation.

“I found a gain in studying alongside the more mentally agile students, for whom learning comes quickly,” said Novak. “Older students like me, working to provide for a family, are compromised in the effort to learn new skills due to the higher load of responsibility.”
Novak believes adult women should return to school for many reasons.

“To reinforce the skills they have, to recreate their career through past and present knowledge, and to improve valuable contribution to society that they have gained in real-world experiences they’ve encountered,” she said.

Burke gets right to the point. “Just do it, go back to school, and don’t let anything get in your way!”