Educator Stacy Holden fulfills a promise she made, will continue her educational journey
Gary, Ind. — As a child, Stacy Holden used to come to Indiana University Northwest to see theater productions. She remembers telling her father “I will graduate from this school.”
When she first pursued higher education, Holden attended IU Bloomington through the Group Scholars program. That was in 1992. Eventually, she came back to the Northwest campus and took classes on and off until about 2006.
It was then that she was told she’d receive no financial aid to assist her in finishing her degree. She had kids, got married, found a job. Life happened, and getting a degree wasn’t in her plans at that time.
Holden found a career in education and received her associate degree in 2010. She wanted to be hands-on with her own kids’ learning process and she was able to do that.
For more than 20 years, Holden has worked at the School City of East Chicago in various roles, including as a paraprofessional and most recently teaching sixth grade, which she started after earning the certifications necessary to fill in as an emergency teacher when there was a teacher shortage during COVID-19.
“My children are grown now, but the result that I get when I see my students’ light bulbs come on, when I see that they understand the concepts, that feeling is indescribable,” Holden said.
One day, her principal asked what she needed to do to receive her bachelor’s degree. Having not given it much thought in more than a decade, Holden looked into it.
As luck would have it, she received an email with an invitation from IU Northwest to attend a luncheon this past summer intended for stopout students, those who have some college credits but withdrew from the university before obtaining their degree.
In 2006, she didn’t feel supported enough to help her reach her goals. This time was completely different.
“16 years ago, I didn’t get the support that I felt in that room that day,” Holden said. “16 years ago, I stopped because my financial aid ran out and there wasn’t anybody to give me that extra encouragement I needed at that time.”
From the IU Northwest representatives from financial aid, admissions and general studies program who attended the luncheon, Holden said she felt like people were listening.
And she discovered if she switched her degree to general studies, she’d only need to take three classes to receive her bachelor’s degree. She received financial help from both IU Northwest and her school district to continue her degree and decided to finish what she was unable to more than a decade-and-a-half ago.
Just a few months later, she received her bachelor’s degree and will walk across the Commencement stage in May 2024, something she never thought would be possible.
“It’s so surreal,” Holden said after turning in her final papers. “It’s something that I always wanted to accomplish but to be in this moment, it’s so amazing.”
Holden specifically thanked Dorothy Frink, Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs & Enrollment Management; Gina Pirtle, Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships; and Kathy Spicer, Academic Advisor and Bachelor of General Studies Coordinator.
And Holden isn’t done yet. She intends to continue her education in the School of Education at IU Northwest through the transition to teaching program.
Eventually, she hopes to gain her teaching licensure and become a school counselor. The path is in front of her. The motivation and support are there. And there’s no doubt in Holden’s mind that she can continue to achieve.
But Holden knows there are other students who started college and, for one reason or another, didn’t finish their degrees. For others in the same position as her, she had this to say:
“Don’t let time hinder you from accomplishing a goal that you set for yourself,” she said. “It doesn’t matter the time. I’m a witness. 16 years later, I am earning a bachelor’s degree that I did not think 16 years ago I’d be able to accomplish.”
Sitting in the theater at IU Northwest as a kid, Holden realizes she didn’t exactly know what she meant, or the path she’d have to take, to graduate from IU Northwest like she told her father she’d do.
But now, fighting back tears while reflecting on her journey, Holden can proudly say she kept her promise.
“My daddy is no longer here, but those memories of me saying I’d graduate – I spoke this into my life as a little girl,” Holden said. “Dreams still come true. Goals can still be reached.”
