Tom Asher
Major : Liberal Studies
High School : Father Judge High School
Hometown : Philadelphia, PA
Employment : Product Administrator for Beneficial Bank
“Here I am 28 years old and I’m having fun at school. I didn’t think that would ever happen,” says Tom Asher, a product administrator with Beneficial Saving Bank in Philadelphia, PA, who is earning a bachelor’s degree from Neumann College through a Beneficial Savings Bank partnership program with the College’s Division of Continuing Adult and Professional Studies (CAPS). With Beneficial for 11 years, Tom has worked his way up from teller, head teller, call center supervisor, to his current position. “But the road upward seems to be getting tougher,” he says. “A degree is my extra ammunition to keep rising up the ladder.”
Having been out of high school for 10 years, Tom was very apprehensive about returning to school. “I wasn’t sure how I could adapt to a college course load given the schedule I had gotten used to.” He says the CAPS accelerated degree program and the professors have made the transition easy.
He’s even earned credits for his previous work experience. Even though college has been and still remains a big change for him, he says, “I can’t imagine my life without going to school. I used to spend nights playing softball or football with friends. Now I’m studying, reading, or going to class.”
In the CAPS program, Tom has the flexibility of taking classes on line or in person at his work site. Being a self-professed “people person,” he says he’s more comfortable in a traditional classroom setting. “I get something out of class each week. Homework assignments are challenging, but not overwhelming.” He says being an adult student with work experience has actually helped him. “If I had gone to college directly from high school, I don’t think I would be getting as much out of it. I appreciate my education more now, especially the efforts of my teachers and the support and camaraderie of my classmates.”
Tom is especially impressed with Neumann’s faculty. “Every professor I’ve had seems to genuinely care about me and my education on a personal level. They’re so willing to make themselves available in any way. I feel their passion and dedication demonstrates ‘the Neumann way,’ that of the Franciscan spirit of compassion and caring.”
Just several courses away from his degree, he is looking forward to continuing up the Beneficial corporate ladder to a position in training coworkers or with direct customer contact. “I don’t have a title in mind, but I know I’m big on people contact.” He also says he’s been inspired by his professor, Tom Ewing, a Boeing employee who worked his way to a masters, and is now also teaching. “He tells me there’s no reason to stop with my bachelor’s degree. I’m starting to think about this. I can see myself teaching or training.”
