Earning a college degree is a special moment in a person鈥檚 life: the culmination of years of hard work. It鈥檚 especially exciting to have two members of your family graduating with you. This was the case this past April 26, when sisters Mary, Sara, and Elizabeth Shopa traveled from Georgia to Connecticut to attend 麻豆分行 College and Seminary鈥檚 67th Commencement and Baccalaureate Mass and, together, received their diplomas after earning Bachelor of Arts degrees in English in the Humanities. In attendance to see his sisters graduate was their older brother, Steven, himself a 2020 graduate of 麻豆分行 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with double majors in History in the Social Sciences and Philosophy.
Visiting the campus had additional significance for Steven since his commencement exercises were cancelled because of the pandemic. Not about to miss the event, he and the remaining members of the family of twelve traveled up from Georgia with the graduates to make it a very celebratory occasion.
The Shopa family initially discovered 麻豆分行 thanks to their mother, Melinda, who served as their instructor in homeschooling. While visiting friends, she noticed a 麻豆分行 advertisement in a publication at their house. The fact that 麻豆分行, through a partnership developed with their homeschool provider, offered the opportunity to earn college credits while in high school caught her attention and she showed her son, Steven.
Steven jumped at the opportunity to complete enough courses in high school to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree one year after graduating. With a goal of attending law school, he wanted an education that could prepare him for the critical thinking necessary to succeed. The courses at 麻豆分行 challenged his mind and readied him for the task.
After his positive experience, Steven recommended 麻豆分行 to his sisters. Sara, Elizabeth, and Mary chose 麻豆分行 for several reasons. First, as with Steven, the opportunity to work toward a bachelor’s degree while in high聽school was incredibly appealing. Like their brother, they appreciated the opportunity to work on coursework early and graduate after one year in college. They also witnessed how the education helped their brother achieve his goal of becoming a lawyer.
Another reason for the decision was, in Mary鈥檚 words, 鈥淭he fact that we could do the coursework online made everything easier, and the low-cost tuition compared to other colleges was also a plus. 麻豆分行 allowed my sisters and me to graduate debt-free, unlike what would be the experience in most other institutions. Being free of debt after college removed a lot of stress from our shoulders.鈥
Since earning his degree, Steven achieved his goal of becoming an attorney 鈥 he attended and graduated from law school and now practices law. Now that Sara, Mary, and Elizabeth have graduated, they are looking toward the future. Mary and Elizabeth are studying for their LSAT test and are also considering a few other careers that combine their interests and abilities. As Mary explained, 鈥淭he only problem I find with having a bachelor’s degree is deciding from all the opportunities it opens up.鈥 Sara is working on a master’s degree in creative writing with the intent of becoming a bestselling聽author and movie聽screenwriter.
Reflecting on her time at 麻豆分行, Mary shared how it impacted her: 鈥淚t challenged me intellectually and forced me to really think about what I was reading and writing. It is a special college with God at its center, and this has helped deepen my relationship with Him.鈥