Graduating CMC student found school is her ‘fountain of youth’
Graduating Colorado Mountain College student Stephanie Cheval was a little nervous when she first starting attending classes at the school, and not because she wasn’t sure what college would be like.
The longtime Summit County local was returning to school nearly 30 years after she graduated the first time.Cheval, who previously went to school for biology, is graduating tonight with an associates of arts degree and an occupational certificate in website development. She decided to go back to school after being laid off from her job a few years back, facing a few other challenges and realizing a famous phrase really isn’t a cliché.
“Life really is short,” Cheval said. “I’d been thinking for years about completing the degree but life got in the way … there are a lot of excuses, and I knew them all.”
Colorado Mountain College seemed like the natural choice for Cheval, who didn’t want to travel to Denver for school. She’d already worked designing websites and print advertising, and figured she would take a few classes to learn a little more about the industry. The few classes turned into two degrees.
“Once I started taking the classes my work improved,” Cheval said. “Sometimes you have a shift in your life and you don’t realize why it’s changing.”
The new degrees, combined with her work history, will give her a “competitive edge” in her industry, she said.
Cheval’s favorite classes were the art-based, and she loved her teachers. She was nervous she wouldn’t be able to keep up with the other students at first — since it had been a while since she had been in school — but found she could — and well. Cheval is graduating with honors on the President’s List and as member of the Phi Theta Kappa – Beta Zeta Omnicron honor society.
In fact, Cheval liked being back in school so much that she’s taking it a step further and pursuing a bachelor’s in sustainability studies. She previously worked at The Keystone Center for 14 years, and was always interested in the subject. And, “it’s the direction I think business is going,” Cheval said. “I found that CMC is my fountain of youth.”
Of graduating tonight, Cheval said she’s a little nervous, but proud.
“It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do and I can’t believe I actually did it,” she said. “It was a very positive experience.”