I am the eldest child of three and the only female. I graduated High School in the bicentennial year of 1976. Feminism was in full swing and woman had as many opportunities as men. My high school curriculum was the same as 90% of my peers - college preparation. I really had no desire to go to college. My dream was to be a wife and a mom. The only problem with that was I was not in a serious relationship (nor do I think I would have been allowed one) and um, yeah, pretty tough to be a wife and mom without the other half. My next desire was to join the Peace Corp. I wanted to explore our world while giving back to others. I was unattached, young, healthy, intellectual, kind, generous and hard working. I know that is what the Peace Corp wanted. I know they wanted me! But I never got the opportunity to consider this. My parents would not hear of it! College. I was going to college.

I came up with a plan. I would choose the most expensive, the most elite, the most prestigious school I could and present that as my college choice. I knew there would be one year that all three of us “kids” would be in college at the same time resulting in a huge financial burden. This would make them listen to me! So, I did just that. I presented them with a vision of attending Wheaton College. Wheaton is an all girl school that met all my criteria. To my amazement, my parents simply nodded in appreciation and suggested I go for it. What they knew, that I had forgotten to consider was, Wheaton accepted the elite of the elite. My high school grades were acceptable but more along the lines of average. I believe to this day it was a grand effort on my part and am sure it would have had the desired results, if I had been an academic achiever.

I did go to college. One of the better state schools because it was affordable (I got that part right!) I graduated with a college degree in Education. I haven’t done much with it, mostly because the teaching industry wasn’t hiring the year I graduated, or the next three. I am not complaining. I have done a lot of wonderful things in the 30 years since, but I have often times wondered, “What if I had been a Peace Corp Volunteer?” I know I could have been one.