Yellow Springs, Ohio – When Maureen McNamara enrolled at Antioch University McGregor in 1991, she never imagined the commute she’d be making in order to finish her degree. While the average commuter battles local traffic on the way to work each morning, McNamara gets to know employees at the Dayton International Airport. McNamara trades stop lights and traffic jams for baggage claims and security checkpoints. It would be, of course, a long drive from Alaska.

“Classmates and faculty members think I am joking when I say I commute from Alaska,” McNamara said. “They are usually shocked when they find out it is true.”

McNamara enrolled in the Undergraduate Studies at Antioch University McGregor in 1991 and continued in the Human Development program until 1997 when she moved to Wasilla, Alaska. However, she had only one remaining quarter to complete her bachelor’s degree. “I had one more quarter left and was determined to get my degree,” McNamara said. “It was extremely important to me to stay with Antioch University McGregor, no matter how far away I was.”

Due to her work responsibilities, McNamara was unable to take three months off work to complete the 16 credit hours of classes. Her dedication to the completion of her degree is exemplary as in the past 11 weeks she has made five roundtrip flights from Alaska to Yellow Springs, Ohio. “I’ve arranged it so that I am in Alaska working two weeks of every month,” she said. Unfortunately, McNamara has used all of her vacation and personal days and will be making her last trip on leave without pay.

“Antioch University McGregor has such a wonderful program,” McNamara said. “It is so enlightening and just expands your mind; I didn’t want to finish my degree anywhere else.”

McNamara currently works for the State of Alaska in the Office of Children’s Services. Upon graduation in July, she is planning to obtain a master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. She hopes to eventually get her doctorate in psychology to fulfill her dream of practicing adult psychology.

Antioch University McGregor, one of five campuses of Antioch University, contributes to the betterment of the individual and the community by fostering academic excellence and providing socially responsive, flexible and innovative education programs for adult learners.

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