Patricia Lynn Mason

“When you’re older, going back to school is scary,” says Patricia Lynn Mason. Nevertheless, Mason, 44, graduated recently from Walden University’s B.S. in Business Administration program and is now enrolled in Walden’s M.B.A. program. And she intends to go on for her Ph.D.

It’s an unexpected path for Mason, who is the youngest of seven children and the only one to earn a college degree.

Breaking Barriers
“My parents only got to the eighth grade,” she explains. “As a child, I didn’t finish school either, because education wasn’t important. But then I got married and I got my GED in 1989.” Her desire for an education triumphed over her background, and she earned an associate degree from a local school. Then Mason enrolled in a popular online university, hoping to complete her bachelor’s.

However, she says, “I wasn’t happy with their program, because they didn’t offer the support I needed.” Determined to keep going, she researched other online universities and chose Walden. “I knew online school was the only way I could go, and I was impressed with Walden’s vision and mission.”

Overcoming Challenges
When she began the program in March of 2005, Mason admits that she was “scared to death at first.”  She was also facing a number of personal challenges: Her husband couldn’t work due to an accident, so Mason was working two jobs—as a bank courier and a personal care aide—and caring for her 84-year-old mother as well as making time for her grandchildren.

What enabled her to make it work was careful time management—“When I was waiting for the banks, I was doing my homework on my laptop”—and Walden’s support system. She credits “everything from the library, to the instructors, to fellow classmates, to my advisors, to financial aid” for making life easier. “Everybody’s so helpful,” she says. “I didn’t feel like I was stuck out there if I had a question. Within 24 hours I got a response from somebody.”

Darlene Rodriguez, associate director for Academic Advising, explains that quick response times are a result of the collaboration between the various student services teams. “The Walden community is based on collaboration and communication,” she says. “Communication is something we live and breathe every day, because it’s in the best interests of our students.”

Mason feels that Walden has helped her improve “personally and professionally.” For instance, she says, “I learned a lot about how to interact with people—how to be a better manager and a team player—and how your attitude affects people. I’m more outgoing and confident now.”

A Bump in the Road
Most importantly, it was the problem-solving skills she learned in class that enabled Mason to reach out when she “hit a bump in the road” financially and thought she’d have to withdraw. “You know where to go, what resources to use. I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for those classes—[they] helped me to do some networking and figure out how to finish.”

This kind of personal initiative is the goal Walden’s student support services team hopes to promote, Rodriguez explains. “We provide the map and the compass, but it’s the student’s responsibility to get to the destination,” she says.

Future Goals
“I was determined not to quit,” Mason says. “If you want something bad enough, you can do it.” She finished the program in November of 2007—graduating summa cum laude—and started the M.B.A. program in January, noting, “It’s exciting to wake up every day and learn something new.” She’s also applying for jobs in management near her home in Bloomfield, Mo. 

Mason also intends to do community outreach one day that focuses on women who are thinking of going back to school: “I’m hoping that I can help other women who are too scared to try. If you don’t ever try it, how are you going to know?”

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