As much as a student would like to finish his or her AA degree in two years, sometimes life gets in the way. When students opt to take a semester off, or even a few decades, ARC, particularly the Re-entry Center, can make the transition back to school a little smoother.   

Upon getting a divorce, now 56-year-old Christina Harris, says "I asked myself what I really wanted to do. And one of those things was going back to school and getting a degree."

Many, women and men alike, feel this way after an absence from school. These returning students can find guidance, support, and information at the Re-entry Center. With classes to assist students in getting back into the rhythm of school, and counselors to guide them through the system, like registering for classes, the Re-entry Center aims to offer a variety of resources to returning students.

The Re-entry Center, located in the Student Services Building next to the Assessment Center, gives "support and encouragement" to students, and works toward the "recruitment" and "retention" of those students, says Re-entry Center counselor Mimi Cudzillo.

Individuals returning to school may face barriers that make it difficult to do it alone. Cudzillo says a few of the barriers are that people have jobs, families, health problems or "not as much stamina," financial difficulties, and a lack of support from family or friends.

Re-entry students often have issues or busy lifestyles that may threaten to hinder their educational success.

"Some of [the re-entry students] are not only caring for children, but caring for older members of the family as well," Cudzillo recognizes.

Harris says she found the Care Givers' Support Group, a group which helps students who care for an elderly or disabled family member or friend, "very helpful," adding, " I had no idea that there was this much support for a student." As a single mother of two children, Harris says she also found help in "Bonnie's class," the Women's Support Group, facilitated by Bonnie Miller.

Extra help is provided in various support groups - some for women, some for men, and of course, parents. The one-unit class, Human/Career Development 111, assists students in goal-setting, degree and transfer information, and general college success.

The Re-entry Center strives to build friendships along the way. Karen Aller, Re-entry Center counselor, says of established returning students, "some just want to say 'hi," adding that some just need a laugh. "Humor is a great anecdote for a lot of problems."

With "over 50 percent" of ARC students being 25 and over, Aller estimates the average age range of returning students is anywhere from 35 to 55 years old, and Cudzillo gives an even wider estimate of 21 to 65.

"We get a lot of people in their 20s and 30s," says Aller, adding that the Center does not discriminate based on age. "We'll help anyone."

Upon returning to college, a student,

particularly an older one gone for a    long period of time, may be surprised by the upgrade in technology.

"We do so much on the computer these days ... It's like going into a foreign country for some of our students. They don't understand how to navigate the system," says Cudzillo.   "The Re-entry center is there to sit down and help that student navigate the system."

Cudzillo says the staff shows students how to navigate the campus as well, pointing out that not knowing where to go can discourage returning students, when "everyone looks like they know where they're going."

Peer mentors of the Re-entry Center will sometimes "physically walk students over and introduce them to someone in the Finance Center," says Cudzillo, "connecting the people to the services."

Harris, who says that although it is hard to juggle life and school, has developed "invaluable" relationships with Cudzillo and Miller, as well as support and encouragement.

She says that although it is hard juggling life and school, "I would encourage every older woman to go back, especially to take a math course," explaining that the way they teach it these days is much more comprehensible.

With an emphasis on education these days, many are returning to school to either make more money, open new doors, or to simply learn. The Re-entry Center can help students move toward all of these goals. For more information, visit the Re-entry Center or call 484-8391 or 484-8207.