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Above and Beyond Award: Management Cynthia Hawkins’ fiancé, Walden alumnus George Bowers, inspired her to become the first person in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree—and later to enroll in Walden’s M.B.A. program.  Cynthia Hawkins and George Bowers The Above and Beyond Award is presented annually to a friend or family member of a graduating student whose support went above and beyond the call of duty and made it possible for the graduate to achieve her or his goal. Here's the nomination letter for one 2007 recipient.
George Bowers, my fiancé, was my inspiration to return to school after 20 years to complete my B.S. in Business Administration. I met George at the nonprofit child care organization where we both worked in 2002. He was a teaching parent, and I worked in finance as a data entry clerk.
From the day we met, he frequently talked about returning to school to complete his B.S. in Business Administration. (He had left college to take care of his mother, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, but made her a promise before she died to return and complete his degree.) George kept encouraging me to do the same. As a single parent, I wanted a better life for my son and myself. George convinced me that furthering my education would be the way to achieve that goal.
One day in April 2003, George announced he was going to begin college at Walden University. I listened to the steps he completed to enroll and secretly followed suit; it wasn’t until his first day of class that he realized I had enrolled as well.
I always told my son about the importance of getting an education, but there were no college graduates in my family. So I thought, what better way to emphasize the importance of getting an education than by doing it myself. I would be the example: the first in my family to earn a college degree.
George and I spent a great deal of time on the phone, since we lived about an hour’s drive apart, discussing school and assignments, and were a source of inspiration for each other. There were times when I didn’t think I would make it through the program, but George was always there to encourage me.
I keep looking at my B.S. in Business Administration degree, and I can hardly believe it. This degree has so much meaning for me. My son says that I may be the family’s first college graduate, but he will be the second—and the first to earn an engineering degree! He is enrolled in the mechanical engineering program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University and will begin this fall.
I am proud that I made the decision to return to school to complete my B.S. in Business Administration. I am even prouder that I chose to follow George to Walden to achieve that goal and that I have followed in his footsteps once again and entered Walden’s M.B.A. program!
About the Award
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©2007 Walden University |