A traffic light has three colors: red for stop, yellow for slow down, green for go.
Liana Ruiz’s life is permanently set on green, with little time for slowing down or stopping to catch her breath. That’s pretty common for a mom with three young kids, a job and other obligations.
Liana Ruiz thrived as an Ecampus student, graduating cum laude while also being a hands-on mother of three. (Photo by Becerra Photography)
Even though she played many parts – mom, wife, chauffeur, employee and so on – a few years ago she recognized the need to take on another: college student.
Oregon State University is less than 1 mile from Liana’s Corvallis home, but life’s many demands made attending classes on campus an impossibility. Thankfully, Oregon State is home to one of the nation’s top-ranked providers of online education, OSU Ecampus, which gives Liana and thousands of learners like her access to high-quality educational opportunities that fit any lifestyle.
“Going to school online was the perfect fit for me,” she said. “It wasn’t easy, but I balanced part-time work, getting kids to sports practices, church activities, playdates, doctor appointments and even sneaking in a date or two with my husband – all while fitting in homework, reading, online discussions and deadlines.”
Anyone with Liana’s tireless work ethic is bound to be rewarded greatly, and she was in June 2014. She graduated with “pretty close to straight A’s” on her transcript, and printed on her Oregon State diploma are the words cum laude – Latin for “with outstanding honor.”
Now Liana is playing another part: role model.
“Finishing my degree has given me the self-confidence that I needed as a mother to guide my daughters on their journey to womanhood and to be the educated, confident women that they will be some day,” she said.
Life on the go has treated her pretty well so far, and she has no intention of slowing down now.
