Joanna Orban
Staff Writer
During the Fall 2019 semester, ISU had 1720 master’s students, 1037 of which were full time. When speaking about whether or not the graduate school has had a change in enrollment over the past couple of years, Anna Siddoway, a graduate pathway specialist said, “There’s a steady retention of students. We haven’t seen a drop. In fact, it’s a slow steady incline.”
The thought of going on to get a master’s degree is understandably terrifying for most undergrads, especially this close to finals week, when all any student wants is for school to be over. Despite the air of mystery and apprehension that surround master’s programs, many go on to further their education, including those that are dubbed “nontraditional students”. Being a nontraditional student can mean many things, but for Danielle Noyes, being a nontraditional students means going back to school after several years as a stay at home mom. Noyes, who is currently pursuing her master’s degree in Communication, Media, and Persuasion is proud of her title as a “nontraditional” student.
“I just believe that education is so important, and it improves your life. I feel like people shouldn’t be afraid to go back to school. School opens so many doors,” said Noyes.
Noye’s passion for communication is what led her back to school. Noyes, who is a graduate teaching assistant at the ISU campus feels like her time at ISU has helped her build lasting friendships and has furthered her passion for school and for learning.
“I’m pretty lucky. When I went back to grad school, I was already passionate. For me, this is fulfilling a dream. I didn’t go back to grad school just to go to grad school,” says Noyes.
She one day hopes to go on and get a doctorate degree, but in the meantime, her focus is on graduating next semester. Her four kids are her biggest cheerleaders, and are incredibly proud of their mom for going back to school.
Like Noyes, Rudo Chigweshe is also pursuing a master’s degree in Communication, Media and Persuasion. She too is considered a nontraditional student, and is originally from South Africa. Chigweshe is passionate about being a nontraditional student.
“I think ‘nontraditional’ has revolutionized education as a whole. It has its advantages and disadvantages but above all I think it opens doors for a lot of people who might not have had the opportunity to have access to learning the traditional way,” said Chigweshe.
In addition to being in the same program, Noyes and Chigweshe both graduate in May of next year. Chigweshe plans to pursue a doctorate degree once she graduates and then return to Africa, where she wants to share her knowledge with the young minds. Being a graduate students means a lot to her.
“It’s both exhilarating and challenging at the same time, especially when you have not been in college in a while since your first degree. I am also getting the opportunity to learn new things and discovering that education is not static but dynamic,” said Chigweshe. “It feels good to be a lifelong learner.”
