Shannon Shaw
Liberty Adult Education
Nominated in 2021
"Hello, my name is Shannon Shaw. It's been over 20 years since I was supposed to graduate high school. I watched all three of my children graduate high school and go off to college. I thought to myself sadly that this opportunity just was not in the cards for me. My husband and mother were pushing me for years to get my GED. I knew in my heart that I did not want my GED. If I was going to do this it had to be my high school diploma. I did some research and found out that Liberty Adult Education was offering a new program called Edgenuity, an online program. I made a promise to myself that I was going to give it my all and get my diploma. I enrolled in July of 2018. My goal was to finish 53 credits, 11 classes before Christmas to surprise my family with this gift. I did it!"
Shannon Shaw was one of our first graduates through our Edgenuity Program. The Edgenuity program is a great program for dedicated students with busy lives to accomplish their goals. Shannon met in class one night a week with her teacher who guided and monitored her progress as she moved through the Edgenuity Program. The beauty of the program is that it is cloud-based; for a student like Shannon this was perfect. Shannon worked full-time as a Property Manager for senior housing developments. One of Shannon's long-term goals is to advance within the company once her boss retires. Shannon's boss realized that earning her high school diploma was especially important to her and will open opportunities for her at work. During downtime at the office, Shannon's boss allowed her to work on her schoolwork. Because of the opportunity and support Shannon was receiving from Liberty Adult Education and her work, she was able to accomplish her goal.
Shannon was an exceptional student. She was very committed and studied very hard. Shannon learned things from the business world that applied to what she was learning in her classes. She said "how surprised she was that the material she was learning carried over to her life and found it very useful." Shannon's goal was to complete 11 classes in five months. The average 5-credit class takes anywhere from 28 to 40 hours to complete. Working full time, taking care of her family, and secretly studying took a lot of commitment from Shannon. Everyone at Liberty Adult Education is very proud of Shannon, and she never gave up! Sure enough, come Christmas morning Shannon was able to present a wrapped certificate of completion to her husband, children, and her mother. They were very surprised and so happy for her. We were all happy to be a part of such an outstanding gift Shannon was not only able to give herself but her family as well.
Shannon's commitment and drive that she has shown her family gave faith and passion to her husband and daughter to further their education as well. Shannon is currently attending California Coast University Online College to work towards her Business Administration Degree. She only has a couple of classes left and we are sure she will get her BA degree by June 2021. Shannon's husband was so inspired by Shannon, he enrolled in the same college to earn his Criminal Justice Degree. Higher Education has become their new family hobby. Shannon's daughter is attending the local community college; once she completes her AA degree, she will attend the same college as her parents.
