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Today’s students will one day join a talent pool and workforce that includes thousands of CSU graduates who have been influencing and advancing society’s collective good for the better part of 50 years.
First generation student has sights set on Hollywood
As a child, Angela Xayavong taught herself how to draw from books she’d get from the library. Over time,...
Your support helps alleviate the pressures that can cause some of our students to simply give up, only a few short steps away from obtaining a college degree.
Thriving in the unknown
Chris Chajon shuns monotony, enjoying the challenge of embracing rapid and progressive change. That’s why when you ask the...
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After 20 years, a dream come true
After 20 years, a dream come true
Shlana Sims’ 20-year journey to earn a college degree has admittedly been a bumpy one.
After graduating from high school in 1996, she enrolled at Cleveland State University and will be the first to tell you that her experience was far from ideal.
“I took time off, started my family, but found that I still had a strong yearning for school,” she said.
Eventually, Shlana began again, this time armed with a fresh perspective and outlook. She enrolled at Cuyahoga Community College and did remarkably well.
After a few years, she returned to Cleveland State.
“I haven’t looked back,” she said proudly.
Today, Shlana is just one semester away from receiving her degree in English and plans to become an English teacher. And this time around, her Cleveland State experience has been significantly better than her first.
“I’ve become engaged as a Structured Learning Assistant and provide tutoring assistance for more than 40 students,” Shlana said.
She’s also a success coach and is currently prepping for her career in education with a practicum at New Tech West High School in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
As a full-time student with a family, the demands are many, but having received a scholarship, Shlana’s been empowered to achieve what has been a decades-long pursuit.
“I can hardly wait to begin my career,” she said.
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