Determination could be Wendy Lyons middle name! She had been discouraged by teachers, as well as her parents. They told her she did not have what it takes to go to college and she almost believed them.

In fact, Wendy fulfilled most of the guidelines devised by AAUW for an AAUW Scholarship. She was a non-traditional student. She was continuing her education after a gap, she had raised three sons and left a bad marriage, she was making ends meet working as a housekeeper and experiencing anxiety and low self esteem.

At age 47, Wendy made a decision to go to college. “I am not going to clean other people’s toilets all my life,” she told herself. She summoned up her courage and met with Jeannie Jenkins, her future advisor at the Community College of Vermont (CCV). She began with two courses and was successful.The next semester, in January of 2018, her advisor encouraged her to apply for an AAUW Scholarship.

As Wendy recalled for this interview, “My first AAUW Scholarship application was a huge deal! I felt I would never get it. I was nervous for days. When I finally learned I had won a scholarship I was so elated! It proved to me that I was worthy of the education and it lifted my self confidence.”

Wendy went on to win five AAUW Scholarships in her three years at CCV. For most of this time she was also working full time as a housekeeper at the Taconic Hotel in Manchester. She graduated in 2020 with an Associate Degree in Liberal Arts.

When Wendy was thinking about her future and what an associates degree would do for her, she thought that obtaining a bachelor’s degree would be essential to pursue her future career choices.  Once she knew that she needed to find another college, MCLA was the logical choice.

“My two sons and grandchildren live in North Adams where MCLA is so I can both go to school and see my family. Choosing the school was the easy part,” she  said, “Finding a degree program was much harder.”

She wanted something that did not box her in, as she doesn’t do well if she feels closed in. Interdisciplinary Studies was the path Wendy chose because these are the classes she enjoyed at CCV. “I really loved learning about different cultures, multi communications, and urban development.”

Last fall, Wendy began her junior year at MCLA. At the same time the COVID-18 pandemic closed the college to in-person participation. She took on a full time course load by learning online.The first semester at MCLA she made the Dean’s List and won a President’s Scholarship, given to honor students. During the second semester she once more made the Dean’s List and finished the year with four A-pluses and an A.

Wendy is the first one in her family to have a college degree. Neither of her parents or her brothers finished high school. “By going to college, I have become a good example for my three sons,” she said.“Anthony has had two promotions and two raises at the Big Y. Zachary is happier than he has been in the past two years and has a relationship with a lovely young woman. Andrew was Employee of the Month and is now a supervisor at Coors Beer Company in Wisconsin.”

On September 1, Wendy will start her senior year at MCLA and is looking forward to receiving a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Social Work in 2022.With all of this success, she has proven to herself and to the world that determination pays off. Not to be stopped, she is now thinking seriously about going on to a Master’s Degree.

The members of AAUW and the Scholarship Committee have reason to be proud of Wendy. It is gratifying to know that our scholarship program was able to give Wendy the boost she needed, when she needed it. She is an inspiration to future scholarship applicants.