Findlay grandmother graduates cum laude from Owens
More than six million older Americans are still working or going back to school well past the traditional retirement age, according to a recent article from the Associated Press. Some continue their education or career for their own personal satisfaction; others do it out of necessity.
For Lorena Baird, it was a combination of both. The Findlay grandmother of 15 and great-grandmother of three graduated cum laude in May from Owens Community College, Findlay Campus with an Associates degree in Liberal Arts. And at 64, she is also employed with her alma mater, working 35 hours a week as a Student Outreach/Enrollment Management Specialist, a job she has had for the past three years.
"I realized I needed to continue to work a while longer and make myself more 'employable' to stay secure financially," says Baird, who began taking classes at Owens four years ago after being laid off from her job as Customer Service Program Manager at Hancor.
To achieve her goal, Baird was determined to not let her age get in her way. "(Being an older student) wasn't daunting for me," she says. "I never felt out of place. Nobody ever gave me the idea that I was too old to be in school."
Still, Baird realized her age while taking a history class at Owens. "As I was reading the textbook," she says, "I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I have lived through a lot of this (history)!' It gave me a good laugh, and I thought if anyone wants some first-hand information….I am the person they need to talk to."
Like many college freshman, Baird wasn't sure what she wanted to do at first. "I thought I wanted to do accounting, so, I started taking classes to get my certificate. Then, I realized it wasn't the right career path for me," she says. Still, Baird earned her certificate. "Then I realized it wouldn't take me long to get my Liberal Arts associate because I already had taken most of the classes I needed."
"I never graduated from high school, but I had my GED. I wanted to work for a CPA, but I enjoyed communications, too," she continued.
Not one to shy away from taking on more than one challenge at one time, Baird managed to pursue her degree (sometimes sacrificing sleep for studying) while at the same time caring for her elderly father (who passed away in 2005) and two youngest grandchildren, holding down a job, and volunteering at the College First Church of God. She even wrote and published a book of poetry last year called From the Garden of My Heart.
Of course, balancing school with those other responsibilities wasn't easy for Baird. Starting out as a full-time student taking 12 credit hours, she was forced to reduce her course load due to schedule conflicts and her father's health issues, and take many of her classes online.
That experience reaffirmed her belief that, "every situation or experience you have can be used in a positive way if you are willing to learn something from it." Additionally, she says, it has taught her to set priorities and has made her feel confident that she can reach her goals, learn new things, and make significant contributions as an employee, member of her family, and as a human being.
This is actually not the first time Baird has been a college student. After she and her husband divorced in 1977 while living in Colorado, she was left to raise their six children on her own while working as a bookkeeper for a gravel and grain company. Several years later, with five of her children grown and her youngest in high school, Baird enrolled in classes at Aims Community College in Colorado, where she earned two associates degrees in business management and marketing.
Baird says her family was her main source of support and encouragement when she decided to attend Owens. "A couple of them asked me, 'Are you sure?' But no one said I shouldn't or couldn't do it. Sometimes, I even asked myself, 'What in the world are you doing? You should be retired by now.' But it was something I wanted, so, I new I could do it."
Several of Baird's grandchildren have been inspired to follow in her footsteps; six of them are Owens alumni, and four are currently enrolled. "When she was filling out her application, my youngest grand-daughter said to me, 'Grandma, if you can do this, then I know I can, too," she says.
Baird isn't done pursuing her dreams, yet. This fall, she'll be taking some professional development and creative writing classes at Owens, and is considering pursuing a bachelor's degree in communications, counseling and creative writing from the University of Toledo in spring 2008. She also hopes to write and publish another book of poems and a children's book.
Baird says she hears many older people say they are bored and don't have anything to motivate them. For her, working and pursuing her education keeps her mind busy, which makes her feel more active, healthy and productive---and she wouldn't have it any other way. She encourages others like her to follow their own dreams.
"My motto is, 'You're never too old to learn something new,'" she says. "Don't be afraid and don't give up; it's never too late."
