| May 10, 2001 - Many years ago, Martha Gilinson quit taking classes
at the City College of New York, after she became pregnant with her
first child. "I was taking a biology course, and they put a frog
in front of my nose to dissect. I became too nauseous, and instead
of asking someone else to do it for me, I just resigned." About
five years ago, Gilinson returned to school and, now, on May 13 she
will graduate from the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University
with a bachelor's degree in political science.
"I felt that I had not finished something," said Gilinson,
who lives in an assisted living community in East Meadow, "and
I wanted to complete it." So she visited several colleges before
picking C.W. Post, who accepted 96heon credits from her old school.
"The toughest part for me," said Gilinson, "was the
concentration it took and the papers that had to be written."
She found going back to school as a 70+ year old had its advantages.
"Being older, depending on the course and the classes, I had
more knowledge than the other students," she said. Gilinson
took just six credits at a time, mostly during the fall and spring
semesters, because of an eye problem. She didn't want to stress
her eyes with too much reading.
Her favorite classes were all within her major. "I liked the
discussions and how they kept the mind working," she said.
Best of all was an assignment that required her to keep a journal
and record her reactions about a newspaper article each week. "I
never felt I was much of a writer," she said, "but my
teacher liked what I did in that class."
Her children, Trudi, Randi and Meri, supported their mother's quest
for a diploma. "They were very happy for me," said Gilinson,
who is also a grandmother of four.
Gilinson will join 1,400 graduates at C.W. Post's 43rd annual commencement
exercises on Mother's Day, Sunday, May 13, 2001. C.W. Post is one
of six campuses of Long Island University, the eighth largest private
university in the United States. C.W. Post's 11,000 students can
choose from a broad range of undergraduate and graduate offerings
as well as extensive continuing education programs. C.W. Post has
awarded more than 82,000 degrees in its 47-year history. The campus
is located on Northern Boulevard (Route 25A) in Brookville.
|
