Expectant Mom to Graduate from C.W. Post on Mother’s Day

Brookville, N.Y. — Like many students graduating from college this spring, Danielle Weber Mulvey has great expectations. She recently landed a graphics design job and hopes to pursue a master’s degree. However, her hopes for the future are focused these days on the baby girl she and husband, Billy, will welcome in August.

"I feel good, but tired," she admitted with a laugh on a sunny afternoon in late April at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville where she has been a student since 2000. "It’s been tough working full-time while going to school at night and keeping up my grade point average. I can’t imagine doing it with a kid, so I’m glad I finished up before that phase of my life."

A resident of North Babylon, Mulvey started her education at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, where she studied fine arts. She also took classes at Farmingdale State University and earned some interesting experience along the way. She worked as an administrative assistant at LUM & Associates, a Long Island-based advertising agency, and was later promoted to media planner. For the past five years she has worked in the art department at Honeywell in Syosset. When she discovered that her company would pay for her education–everything from tuition to books–she decided to pursue her bachelor’s degree in digital art and design.

When Mulvey, 33, completed her coursework in December 2003 at C.W. Post, Honeywell promoted her to graphic designer. Now she spends her days designing brochures, catalogues, carton art and various marketing materials. After taking some time off for a little R and R and time with the baby, she plans to go back to work and to pursue a master’s degree in art, possibly multimedia arts.

"I feel very fortunate," Mulvey says of her path to a degree. "I wish I had done it sooner, but this is how my life turned out." She gives much of the credit to her husband, whom she married in February 2003, and to Mary Suddaby, Associate Director of Adult Student Services and Mulvey’s first advisor at C.W. Post. "I have a really supportive husband who understood that I had no time for him. He never complained when I had homework to do. As for Mary, I would not have made it through my college career without her. She’s an angel."

Mulvey, who is graduating with honors with an impressive 3.86 grade point average, will join 2,500 other graduates on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 9 for the 46^th annual Commencement exercises of the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University in Brookville.