Cherri Bates and Jordan Garcia are a mother-daughter team both earning their Bachelor of Science in Communication at Colorado State University-Global Campus. While it may not be tradition to earn your degree alongside your parent or child, this mother-daughter duo is taking advantage of CSU Global’s nontraditional format to help one another excel in coursework, while maintaining full-time jobs.
In honor of Mother’s Day on Sunday, May 14th we’re sitting down with Cherri and Jordan to learn more about how these family members-turned-classmates support each other on their educational journeys. See how their built-in study buddy relationship helps them succeed on the path to degree completion.
CSU Global: Who started taking courses at CSU Global first, and why did you choose CSU Global?
Cherri: I’ve been pursuing my bachelor’s degree on and off for years. In the past, my schooling had to be put on hold in the wake of work and other responsibilities. With advancing technology, I realized that an online university could realistically allow me to complete my education. I applied to CSU Global for the flexible learning environment.CSU Global: Jordan, when did you decide to enroll at CSU Global and what was your motivation?
Jordan: I was previously at a traditional brick-and-mortar college, but I had to start taking their online courses because of transportation issues. While my mother was already taking courses at CSU Global she saw me struggling with the repetitiveness of 16-week online courses. The environment just wasn’t for me. My mom suggested I transfer to CSU Global because of the positive experience she was having. Admittedly, I was resistant at first because I thought all online programs would be the same. I ended up taking a semester off and picking back up at CSU Global. Fortunately, I was wrong to think CSU Global would be the same as my previous online experience, and I’m enjoying the structure and accelerated 8-week courses much more.CSU Global: It sounds like both of you needed a university with flexibility. Do you work in addition to being a student?
Cherri: Yes, I work full-time as a logistics analyst for an international food distributor. Jordan: I work full time as well for a photography company overseeing the customer support department.CSU Global: Cherri, you already had a full-time job, what made you want to return to school later in life?
Cherri: I’ve always wanted to receive my bachelor’s degree, but at this stage in life, I’m doing it for more than just myself. I’m also doing it for my daughter. I want to be a role model for Jordan, showing her that nothing will get in the way of achieving our goals. I also wanted to prove to myself that even a working, single mother can complete her education.CSU Global: Have you two ever taken a course together?
Jordan: We’re both earning our Bachelor of Science in Communication so even though we haven’t taken a course together, we have taken the same course at different times. I got an A and mom got a B+, which we consider a success! Because we’re in the same program and I live at home, we often do our homework together and use each other as a resource. Since we both work during the day, we do our coursework on nights and weekends. We ask each other for opinions and feedback on papers, and bounce ideas off of each other… “Does this sentence sound okay? Does this paper answer all the questions?” Stuff like that. It’s actually been really beneficial for both of us to have each other.Fortunately, I was wrong to think CSU Global would be the same as my previous online experience...