"I took the scenic road," Mugno says of her life. She enjoyed life as a stay-at-home mom after working as a dental hygienist and was deeply involved in the PTAs at the Oceanside schools that her children attended. In 1997, Mugno began working as an aide in the special education department in the district - a job she enjoyed so much that she decided to go back to school to become certified as a teacher.

Mugno is a musician and it is this passion that she wants to share with children. She has been playing piano since she was in the third grade and over the years sang in choral groups and even led a children's choir at St. Anthony's Church in Oceanside. Her children are all musical as well: Rich, 19 Joe, 17, and Melissa, 16, all play cello and her youngest daughter, Trish, 14, plays trumpet.

Initially, the thought of going back to college was a little scary for Mugno. "I was apprehensive," she says. "But it turned out that the faculty and students were very supportive and I even found that I could share stories and college experiences with my oldest son, Rich, who is a freshman at Adelphi University." In fact, one of Rich's friends recently transferred into the music program at C.W. Post, where she and Mugno have shared classes.

"My husband, Richard, has been very supportive," says Mugno. "He helps with the scheduling and with running the household. He says he is very proud of me."

After graduation, Mugno hopes to teach general music in an elementary school, where she would also like to direct a children's chorus. Later, she will return to school for her master's degree.

Mugno will join 1,500 graduates at C.W. Post's 44th annual commencement exercises on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 12, 2002. C.W. Post is one of six campuses of Long Island University, the eighth largest private university in the United States.