September is here and the learning continues

It’s hard to believe that we’ve left summer behind at the door to September and yet I guess every year we face the same departure. I get a somewhat wistful feeling this time of year and as I drag bags of paper, pencils lined notepaper and duo tangs through the front door of my home I say a little prayer of thank that my youngest children are still part of my daily life. It won’t be long before they join their older sister out there in a larger world and I will be left to face September alone with no agendas to sign or lunches to supervise.

I’ve done a bit of my own learning over the past year or so and I was thrilled to get word just a week or so ago that I have successfully earned my Master of Arts degree in English Literature and Writing from the Intercultural Open University Foundation (IOUF). This wonderful distance learning organization educates social change agents to the level of a Master or PhD degree and I was very grateful for the scholarship they awarded me to enable me to complete the degree. Thanks to academic partnerships with the Universidad Azteca and the Universidad Central de Nicaragua, I will also receive degrees from these two universities as well.

The IOUF has a global perspective and has offices in Granada, Spain, and Arden, Delaware. They select as students only people who are dedicated to the kind of social change that improves lives, broadens insights or somehow makes the world a better place. Their PhD grads include people who have

• Written notable books
• Undertaken major works of charity
• Developed important models for communication or technology and
• Made substantial contributions to sustainable business

IOUF students – who they call “learners” — are located around the world and have areas of expertise in many fields. It’s been an honor to have spent the past year among them and I’m thrilled beyond belief to have earned my MA.

My interest in helping people who have been in abusive relationships through the publication of “Shades of Teale” was one of the criteria the IOUF used to determine if I met eligibility requirements for their program. I wrote Teale’s story just to get it out of my head and heart and onto paper and although I dreamt of becoming a published author one day, I never dreamed that Teale would be my invitation to the MA degree I have so long hoped to obtain. Life is indeed a strange and fascinating journey.

If your work or charitable interests involve somehow making the world a better place, and the idea of obtaining a graduate or post-graduate degree appeals to you, I invite you to look into what the IOUF has to offer. My experience with this organization has been superb and the folks who have mentored me to my degree have all been people of compassion and integrity. I may not need pencils and erasers anymore. But I certainly appreciate the opportunity for ever more learning.