Ashley, here, writing Chapter 4 of the What a Thing Chronicles.
It’s graduation season! I always get a little sentimental around this time of year because I think of my graduation day, and those moments I will never forget, like my mom wearing her pearls and lipstick. If my mom wears pearls AND lipstick, y’all it’s special! Enrolling in college was one of the best decisions I ever made. Earning my degree allowed me to make amazing memories, meet awesome people and visit exciting places. I’ve worked in higher ed for about a decade, and I hit my stride teaching English at my alma mater for six years. I worked side by side with my heroes. It was all kinds of awesome! Now, I’m riding for you in a peloton! I love it!!!
Anthony celebrating other PelotonU students degrees back in February 2017 – with Sam!
Let’s start this chapter off with a bang! Anthony earned his Bachelor of Arts in psychology on April 30th from Brandman University. If you see him, congratulate him. Or raise a drink to his picture on the wall – he’s the fellow with an adorable son sitting on his lap!
Anthony is a fine example of what happens when you choose to stick to something, even when it is difficult. While earning his degree, Anthony worked night shifts for 4 days on / 4 days off as a corrections officer and raised two young sons. I can imagine it wasn’t always easy, but he did it anyways. Go, Anthony!
I also have it on good authority that he’s not only a scholar, but a gentleman as well. Anthony visited Sarah in the hospital after she underwent surgery. His words to our Sarah, “Well, I knew you’d been taking care of your mom a lot and I wanted to make sure someone was taking care of you.”
Remember those moments I mentioned when I reminisce about graduating? Here are some moments, tidbits and fun facts from PelotonU:
Juan G and Jorge M bonding in the office
We welcomed five new students to PelotonU in May. *drumroll, please*… Denise B., Anita H., Maria I., Roy R. and Jordan R.!
Huge shout out to Isai C., Julia E., Toni G., Juan G. Jorge M. and Quintin L. have mastered 30 competencies!
Brenda’s pet hamster won’t stop eating and keeps growing (eek!). We recently found out that our very own Briana C was on her high school golf team! When asked, she said, “What guys? I just had to fulfill my PE credit, ok!?!” Alexa got a promotion at work (yahoo!) and Christina C wins the Best Boy Band Text award for sending her CCA an N*SYNC “Bye Bye Bye” gif to share that “Group projects are officially in my rear view mirror!” Alicia S also shared some parting advice for Sam’s last day at PelotonU before she heads to Scotland… “Kilts are awesome.” We agree.
Holly, Batman, and Jaquay. The team that rocks Converse together, stays together.
Cori is KILLING her projects, churning them out, and receiving feedback that starts with “Holy Smokes!” from her reviewers. Amalia is rocking her CCA’s socks off in planning for school lately. She not only found a new task management system to use for school, but also found a way to incorporate it with her personal and work responsibilities to make her more efficient in all she balances in her life. She wins the Time Management Master award for blowing her CCA’s mind in the way she has analyzed her schedule, set up boundaries for school, and created a new focused approach to balancing everything in life.
Becky and George are crushing recruitment in their daily life – a community group they’re involved in has loved getting to know them and wants to know more about PelotonU as a result. Bethany F. is out here sharing and helping her peers at both sites, and lastly, if you want to know what day is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, ask Alicia S.
What a thing!
Cheering for you,
Ashley + the PelotonU Staff
