September 11, 2001 Inspired Changes in Her Life
On September 11, 2001, Teri Ballough was in her office at Republic Mortgage Insurance Company where she worked as a corporate marketer. She and her coworkers watched the day’s horrible events unfold on a conference room TV. “After there was news of the Pentagon being struck, my boss asked me to go around and make sure anyone still working was aware of how bad things were. I’ll never forget the looks on people’s faces.”
The emotional impact of that day affected Teri deeply and caused her to take a closer look at her life. She decided to make some changes. It didn’t happen immediately, but when time had past and emotions eased, she realized she wanted to do something else with her life. 9/11 had made her work in communications seem rather pointless and unimportant in the greater scheme of things. She wanted to do something that truly benefited the larger community.
“I began to research different professions and decided to pursue Social Work. It seemed the most proactive way to help people. I didn’t want to become a firefighter or a cop. I didn’t want to be reacting to events. Instead I wanted to do something that hopefully would improve things for people who need some guidance.”
When she told her friends what her plans were the response was generally negative. “The majority thought I was nuts.” But she didn’t let their reaction discourage her and she enrolled at UNCG to pursue her degree in social work in the summer of 2003.
It had been more than a decade since she had graduated with her first degree in Communications from UNC Wilmington. “The first day of classes felt very odd; I was very nervous and worried that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the course work.”
Things soon settled in, however. She began meeting other adult students who had made very similar choices to her own. ”It was great to hear positive comments about my decision and to realize I wasn’t unique in returning to school as an adult.”
Like many adult students she has found that her approach to her studies is very different from when she had first attended school. Rather than waiting impatiently for her classes to end she now sits in the front and participates in the discussion. “Now, I probably talk too much.”
A Much More Serious Student
She is much more serious about her studies and won’t allow herself to become discouraged. She is taking Economics this semester and has struggled to keep a C average. When she first went to school she would have already dropped the class, now she is determined to succeed.
“I know Economics is a required course, so I can’t allow myself to give up on it; it would prevent me from reaching my goal.” Laughingly she adds, “I’m also trying harder because I’m paying for the bills.”
She is happy with her choice to come to UNCG. “It is a very friendly campus and people are always willing to help. My professors are all really nice, really caring.” Unlike her first time at school, she has made an effort to develop relationships with all her professors. “It is surprising how much you can learn from your professors outside of the classroom.”
Teri has found she is actually working harder now than when she was working full time. This is due partly to the fact that she is taking 18 hours this semester. She had to take on an extra course to prevent falling out of sequence in her social work classes. The alternative would have been waiting a year until the course was offered again. “It is not a major problem but it does put a strain on this semester. My advice to new adult students is to take responsibility for understanding what courses they need to take and when; otherwise you could be here longer than you planned.”
Involved in Activities Outside the Classroom
Even with the heavy course load Teri has still found time to get involved in activities outside the classroom. She is the president of the newly established UNCG Adult Student Organization. “I enjoy all my classmates no matter what the age but it is nice to be able to get together with people who are as old as you and share similar experiences.” She hopes to encourage interest in the social group with a happy hour get-together later this semester and is also planning on an end-of-the-year cookout at the University’s facilities at Piney Lake.
”This could be a great organization for adult students but we need more people to get involved. If anyone is interested, please contact me at ASO@uncg.edu..”
Teri is happy with her decision to make a change in her life. ”It feels good to be doing something that is about more than just my own interests.” She looks forward to taking a break after she completes her undergraduate degree. She wants to find work that will give her some practical experience in the field and then it will be back to school to complete her Masters in Social Work.
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Page updated: 06-May-2009
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