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 You’ve undoubtedly heard the old adage about turning lemons into lemonade: taking bad things and using them for something good. Well. Donna Johnson, a recent graduate of AIU Online with an Associate of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Systems, is better at it than most.
Let’s just say Donna has had more than her share of challenges to overcome, such as: debilitating back injuries, divorce, a young daughter being diagnosed with cancer, living on Social Security disability (due to her back problems), planning a wedding (her own), and barely making it paycheck to paycheck. Says Donna, “If I can make it through all that I have, I can get my Associate’s degree and eventually even my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.”
Donna even got her Associate’s degree with style, graduating with close to a 4.0 GPA. “I never thought I could do this well. I’ve been out of school since 1977, and even then was only a B student. What amazes me more than my grades, though, is that I am retaining a whole lot of what I’m learning. That’s what is most important.”
Donna’s attitude made all the difference. “I’ve always taught my two daughters that no matter what life deals out, we can not only handle it, but also better ourselves through it.”
Donna has had plenty of chances to better herself. When she was 34, her back started hurting to the point she was unable to work. Doctors discovered she had shattered a vertebrae and two discs in her back . back when she was 14. Because the injuries had gone 20 years without diagnosis, much less treatment, surgery was the only option. The four-hour surgery turned into eight hours and resulted in nerve damage. “I’m now at 75 percent. I’m walking but there is constant pain there’s no getting around.”
But Donna credits her back with leading her to AIU Online. “Sitting in a class isn’t something I can physically do. But online, I can do some work, get up and stretch and then come back. I’m up and down. I can even tend to the kids or do a load of laundry. It’s the only way going to school is an option for me.”
AIU Online wasn’t the first online university Donna looked at. “I got so mad and disgusted and frustrated at the first school I called, I nearly gave up on the idea. I would get off the phone with that school in tears. I didn’t have a job at the time and they kept telling me that I couldn’t go to their school if I wasn’t employed. I wanted to go to school so I could get a job. It was horrible.”
When Donna called AIU Online, she was fortunate to get one of the school’s helpful Admissions Advisors. “She was awesome. There’s no other word to describe her. She knew the answers to all my questions and came up with a few questions I never even thought to ask. We still email occasionally, whether it is just to chat or I have another question. She’s amazing.”
Having now graduated with her Associate’s degree, Donna is the first in her family to complete college. “I feel so good about it, and my family is just tickled. Mom doesn’t even have the words to express her feelings. She cries every time I start talking about school she is so happy.” Donna’s going back to school even inspired her ex-husband to do the same.
“Life is so good since I started this school. I can’t wait to get off Social Security disability and start working again. I could become a career student, but being able to make ends meet and not having to deal with the hassles of Social Security is a close second.” Having upped her typing speed to 80 words per minute and being comfortable around computer and computer programs of all sorts isn’t too bad either, especially when it comes time for Donna to get that great job.
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Sitting in a class isn’t something I can physically do. But online, I can do some work, get up and stretch and then come back. I’m up and down. I can even tend to the kids or do a load of laundry. It’s the only way going to school is an option for me.
—Donna Johnson |
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