Lora Lee Houtz
Major : Liberal Studies
High School : Mt. Pleasant in Wilmington, DE
Hometown : Claymont, DE
Employment : Wawa, Inc., Human Resource Service Center
Analyst
In 2004, Lora Lee Houtz took a job in the mailroom at Wawa, Inc. having
decided to leave Wilmington College where she spent a year as an education
major. Unsure that she wanted to teach, she chose to take a break.
College, she says, was just too expensive for her to be simply "trying
out" a career. But she was conflicted. "I really did want
to earn a degree badly," she says. "I just didn't have the
money to do it." At Wawa, she learned that the company's Cohort
program would pay for her to earn a degree. Now she's on her way to
a bachelor's degree in liberal studies at Neumann College and making
plans to expand her marketability and job opportunities.
Through Wawa's Cohort program, Lora Lee could choose to earn her
degree at one of several local colleges with which the company had
established a relationship. She says she chose Neumann College "without
hesitation."
It was close to her home (Claymont, Delaware) and church (Mt.
Hope in Aston), and Neumann offered an accelerated liberal studies
degree program that was specifically designed for busy, working
adults with multiple responsibilities. Offered through the College's
Division of Continuing Adult and Professional Studies (CAPS),
this accelerated degree program also enabled her to earn credit
for the courses she had taken (over 30 credits transferred) and
individually design her program according to her interests.
"I was very nervous about returning to school now that I
am also working full time," she says. "But the people
involved with CAPS have made it easy for me. Jil Donnelly, my
advisor, has always been available to answer my questions and
has provided me with a very clear road map for my Neumann journey."
According to Lora Lee, Neumann has a "distinct family feel"
about it. "People here are friendly, caring, and willing
to help you on a personal and academic level." She likes
that her classes at Neumann are "small and comfortable."
Professors make it easy to get one-on-one help when needed, she
explains, and they make themselves available after class by phone
or e-mail. In fact, she says, "I've-mailed my math teacher
three times in the past three weeks. I like that I can do that."
With mostly other working adults in her classes, she adds, students
are there because they want to be. "This makes college a
much better experience the second time around. I feel having class
with others, who share work and life experiences, has created
an improved learning environment for me."
Lora Lee has worked her way up to the position of Human Resource
Service Center Analyst, but feels her new degree will bring an
added dimension to her job performance. She also believes she
will be able to advance her career at Wawa, getting positions
she was previously unable to attain because she lacked the "required
bachelor's degree." And, she says with new found confidence,
this degree may not be the end of her education. Long term, a
teaching career still appeals to her.
