Georgian Court University Magazine

Doreen celebrated her long-awaited degree with her youngest son, Bryan, her Aunt
Margaret (front left) and her parents, Dolores and Joseph. (Inset): Her oldest son,
Robert, was unable to be there as he is on active duty.
Doreen was only able to take one class
per semester due to health issues and her
dedication to raising two highly successful
sons. Her oldest, Robert, graduated
from West Point in 2008 and now is a
second lieutenant. He is serving in Oahu,
Hawaii, and will likely deploy to Iraq
or Afghanistan in 2010. Her other son,
Bryan, is a college junior and an Army
ROTC cadet who will also serve after he
graduates in 2011.
“I love Georgian Court’s commitment
to both the students and the larger
community. Despite being older than the
traditional college age, I found so many
opportunities to get involved.”
Doreen credits the support and
encouragement she received at GCU with
helping her maintain a 4.0 GPA, which
helped her gain entry into Alpha Sigma
Lambda, the nontraditional student
honor society, and Phi Alpha Theta, the
History Honor Society. And she didn’t
stop there. She also served as secretary of
Alpha Sigma Lambda for several years and
president for two terms while also serving
as vice president of the Clionaes History
Club. For Doreen, getting involved and
interacting with the campus community
energized her to complete her long
academic journey.
While some students transform slowly,
some students begin to change the moment
that Georgian Court opens the doors of
opportunity. Sandrine Holloway ’09 went
from leading a simple life among family
in beautiful rural Jamaica to immersing
herself in the American college experience.
Despite growing up in a place known for
sun, sand, and relaxation, she instantly
became one of the busiest women on
campus. An active member of WILD,
she was elected president of the Student
Government Association and her class.
Sandrine’s experience at GCU has been so
positive that she is pursuing her M.B.A. and
serving as a graduate assistant to the Office of
Student Development and WILD.
This semester, she spoke at a WILD
session for new students where she
described the transformative powers of
GCU simply and succinctly.
“Five years ago, when I started GCU, I
would have laughed in disbelief if someone
told me that I would be standing here
today, speaking enthusiastically to a large
group of strangers,” she told the crowd.
“The college experience at GCU is so
transformative; it’s like I came in as a shy
caterpillar and now fly like a butterfly.”
“The college experience at GCU is so transformative;
it’s like I came in as a shy caterpillar and now fly like a butterfly.”
4 | FALL 2009