WGU Graduate Speaker, Cynthia Boland, Winter 2007

<p>Cynthia Boland speaks at the February 2007 Western Governors University graduation wearing pajamas, and celebrating her opportunity for a flexible online degree.</p> <p>Transcription of video:</p> <p>Hello. Congratulations. As my final assignment, official assignment with Western Governors University, we must do this right.</p> <p>Jealous, aren't ya? [Laughter] If only I had my coffee cup in hand. What brought me to Western Governors University was a website. I went online looking for the fastest track I could find to get my degree. I thought I was calling into cyberspace. My poor enrollment officer or counselor, when he answered the phone, I asked him, "So are you in your office or are you sitting on your couch?" He goes, "I'm in my own little cubicle. I thought the same thing. You found exactly what you're looking for." I needed the fast track, as 70 of us did. I had a degree I needed to get, and I needed to get it fast. I needed to fill a teaching position which I did.</p> <p>Thank you to all my mentors, all the faculty mentors, all of the support that I had. What pulled me to WGU pulled me through WGU. If I wasn't being pulled with a towrope I was being pushed with a train. I found WGU to be the exact vehicle that I needed. It is the vehicle of the future. It is the vehicle of today, for all graduates.</p> <p>My God brought me to my school. Every time I wanted to stop, every time I felt that it was too much, I felt that urge to go on. It was either through a mentor, through something that happened in my classroom, I was already in at school, or through my children. And thanks to them, doing my laundry, cooking, and cleaning, I have now forgotten, but I guess we'll have to relearn. I also got some new clothes through that deal. (Chuckles) But they did a fabulous job.</p> <p>They even got to see me throw a couple of temper tantrums when that assignment just wouldn't go quite right, and it looks something like this. (Laughter) Exactly like that. I too checked Task Stream every 30 minutes "Why haven't they checked that assignment?" Didn't they know I was up until 2 a.m.? I've talked to lot of the graduates in the last day or two, and that's when they thought we should get our diploma, was 2 a.m. That's when we sent the assignment in.</p> <p>Yes, we burnt the midnight oil. Is a degree worth it? Yes. Is the experience worth it? Yes. But what am I doing with my degree? I have 74 students that were without me yesterday that I love like a family, and they're waiting for me to come back. My heart has grown. My family has grown. And I'm there for them every day. Again, thank you Western Governors University. Thank you for everyone, all of your comments on the communities that helped me through. I know I'm mirroring your thoughts, I know we were all in the same place. And I'm so glad to be part of this family. Thank you.</p> <p>[Applause]</p>