2012 OSU Ecampus graduates

Jamie Chesshire-Mason – Primed for a future filled with Ivy

B.S. in Liberal Studies
Globe, Ariz.

What does earning your OSU degree mean to you?
Earning my OSU degree means freedom. My entire life I have been at the mercy of someone else's financial stability, whether that of my father or my husband. Earning my degree has increased my earning potential by a factor of two. I will have the freedom to make choices in my life because I will be able to support and provide for myself. It also means that I no longer feel ignorant. I have worked diligently to learn and absorb as much knowledge as I possibly could. My OSU degree means that I might actually know a thing or two about a thing or two.

Why did you choose to complete your degree online through OSU Extended Campus? What did you like about this method of education?
For the first three years of my online education I lived a town of only 3,900 people, nestled in the foothills of the Big Horn Mountains. There certainly were no nearby colleges, community or otherwise. Our nearest Wal-Mart was 32 miles away. An online degree was my only option. It allowed me to get an education when it was otherwise physically impossible. I will forever remain grateful for that.

I enjoyed being able to set my own schedule for my education. Not having to attend classes in person made it very easy for me still have a social life and engage in community service.

Did you have an instructor or advisor who was influential in helping you succeed as a distance student?
The teacher that taught me the most was Rorie Solberg. Her classes were tough. She was one of the only teachers to give me an A-, which I was grateful for even though it dropped my GPA. She really helped me to see my potential and helped to cultivate my passion for the law. She was a fountain of knowledge. She knows the subject matter through and through but always welcomes alternative points of view.

What will your Ecampus degree allow you to do that you were unable to do before?
Like I previously wrote, my degree will allow for financial freedom. As a woman, the potential to be the primary bread winner in the family changes the power dynamic of the relationship. This degree will help improve my career because it is a necessary step to admittance to law school. Graduating with honors at OSU will hopefully open some Ivy League doors for me.

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