Full-time at Hiram College

I started going to Hiram on the weekends prior to being sent to Chicago. Eaton was paying my tuition as long as I passed my courses. Of course, after they fired me, that stopped. So, I took my unemployment and what savings I had and started going to school at Hiram full time.

Yes, I was required to document my job searching each week to continue to receive my unemployment. And I did, submitting resumes and doing interviews 2-3 times a week, plus going to school. At that time, the economy had taken another downturn, and no one was that interested in my skill set. Manufacturing was already starting to leave the country for Canada, Mexico, India, and China.

I realized that my skill set was probably not going to provide us with a decent living. So, I changed my focus at Hiram from Humanities and Writing to Secondary Education. The counselors assured me that my age and life experience would make me highly desirable as a teacher in secondary education. That turned out to be a load of BS. But I’m getting ahead of myself again.

By the end, I was going full-time during the week and attending the weekend college, too. That way, I was able to finish up my degree in a little less than 2 years.

There were two reasons I chose Hiram. First, Anne had graduated from there and had recommended it to me. The second is that Hiram accepted most of my credits from LCCC. I had also applied to Cleveland State, but they wouldn’t accept fully half of my LCCC credits, which would have added another year, at least to finish my degree.

I graduated with a 3.45 accume in Humanities and Fine Arts, with a minor in Writing. I also applied for and received an Ohio Teaching Certification to teach secondary English.

To be Continued

–LE