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Glazier returned to school and enrolled in the University of Bridgeport’s IDEAL Program about a year after giving birth to her daughter, Julissa, now 2. The impetus, she said, was her baby.
“I thought how can I expect her to do well and get her college degree if I haven’t done so yet,’’ said Glazier, who is enrolled in the IDEAL Professional Studies Program and concentrating on Human Resource Administration. “A lot of my motivation for going back was because of her.”
Before giving birth to her daughter, Glazier lacked motivation to pursue a degree. She was not, she admitted, a good student.
“I never really enjoyed school,’’ she said. “I got out of high school and went right to work. That was okay, but you can’t really get a good job without some sort of degree. And heaven forbid if something happens. I have a child to take care of.”
Glazier worked in office settings since high school, and came to work in the UB Admissions office a few years ago. “A lot of my co-workers enrolled in classes,’’ she said. “I just never pictured myself being able to do it.”
She procrastinated for two years before deciding to take the education plunge. “Once I made the decision to do it, I was glad I did,’’ Glazier said. “The hardest step is the first one.”
Like many other students in the IDEAL Program, Glazier raved about the relationship she has with her academic adviser. Though she finds the work challenging on top of full-time employment and her role as a single mother, she makes sure to complete her assignments and eliminate distractions.
“It’s extremely hard,’’ Glazier said. “You really have to focus. If I’m reading at home and somebody comes into the room, I’ll say, 'Leave me alone! I have work to do.'”
When Glazier’s sister enrolled in community college she would look over her sister’s work. “I didn’t know how she did it,’’ Glazier said. “I didn’t think it was something I could do.”
Glazier realized later she could. She just needed the motivation. A blessed little heart provided a big change.
“Now I surprise myself,’’ Glazier said. “At Thanksgiving my nephew was over and I had to stop and get work done at the kitchen table. I told him he should get his degree right out of college, so that he’s not 30 years old and working at the kitchen table on Thanksgiving Day.”
