Adult Degree Completion Program
Alumni Spotlight
Cheryl Senko-Bevacqua
Current Position: Manager, Continuing Education & Network Training, PPG Industries, Inc.
Degree/Major: Bachelor of Arts with Majors in Communications & Public Relations, May 2008
What was your goal when you first enrolled in the adult degree completion program at
B-W? How was B-W able to help you achieve your goal – or did your goal change? I think my goal was to find out what more life could offer me. I went back to B-W a few months after my 40th birthday, and I had just lost my Father – two significant events that make you really re-evaluate your life. On the job, I was doing inside sales, but I was looking for more of a challenge. I saw people that were “managers” and felt I had the same amount of intelligence and talent that they did. They just had the “degree” and I didn’t.
My goals have changed since enrolling in B-W’s adult degree completion program. I no longer just want to work for someone else, but wish to open my own consulting business. I’ve also realized that making a contribution in the community is as important as having a career and a family. My classes in African American Fiction, Russian History, and Sociology have really opened my eyes to the plight of people I only looked at on the surface before. I think if B-W has done one thing for me, it’s encouraged me to look at life from the point of view of others.
What has been the outcome of your experience at B-W? On the job, the results have been phenomenal. I went from being an inside sales representative, to being the team leader. Then a year after that promotion, I was given my current position as manager of Continuing Education and Network Training for PPG. Both promotions were awarded to me; I did not have to compete for them. This is something virtually unheard of at PPG. My income has increased about 35% in the four and half years that I’ve been enrolled in the evening degree completion program.
Personally, I have become a member of the Board of Directors at a local non-profit (Cogswell Hall) which helps provide life chances for women who would otherwise be homeless. I’ve been fortunate enough to be trusted with a leadership position within Alpha Sigma Lambda – the adult honor society on campus, and every single instructor that I’ve had in my classes has touched my life in some way
What was the most important thing you learned while attending B-W’s evening degree completion program? I learned that my problems are really small in the larger scope of the world around me. I realized how blessed I and my family are, and how much work there is to do to make this world a better place. I feel enabled to tackle everything from homelessness to the world financial situation, and I know that I’m finally going to reach the dream of truly making a difference in the world.
What advice would you give to current or prospective students? Not to get overwhelmed that first day in class when you read the syllabus and realize everything you have to do to finish the course! Take it one class at a time, prioritize what you have to get done first, and believe in your ability to get an “A.” I also found that my friends and family were more than willing to help me pick up the slack when I needed help with childcare or something; I just had to take the initiative to ask for help.
