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SHARING A PASSION FORSOCIAL JUSTICEby Keme Hawkins and Judy PetreeThough this group of five social workstudents came from very different walksin life, together they discovered howtheir shared passions and compassion foreach other helped them succeed.Throughout the past two years inWeekend College, as they faced a varietyof challenges and demands on theirpersonal and academic lives, collectivelythey supported each other to achievetheir highest potential as students andsuccessful graduates.Vernona Boswell, LymouaMouacheupao, Darin Rowles, SophiaThompson, Matthew Thornhill, andGeralyn Williams all entered the socialwork program together, and on May 1they graduated together.“They discovered that they share thepassion for social justice and service toothers that is the hallmark of AugsburgCollege,” said Tony Bibus, associateprofessor and social work departmentchair, about the group’s commitment.Three of the students shared theirstories.LYMOUA MOUACHEUPAO enrolledat Augsburg after her husband lost hisbattle with liver cancer and left her to raisefour sons. Going back to school was herway to deal with grief. “I needed a sense ofmeaning in life,” Mouacheupao said, andshe appreciated the shared common bondof family responsibility felt in this group.GERALYN WILLIAMS came toWeekend College in 1997 after havinggone in and out of college programs atother institutions for 15 years. Not surewhat she wanted to do, she left schooland worked at an office job, but never lether desire to finish college fade. Whenshe finally started looking at schoolsFirst row (L to R) Lymoua Mouacheupao, Matthew Thornhill, Second row (Lto R) Geralyn Williams, Darin Rowles, Vernona Boswell, Sophia Thompson.again, it was the weekend program thatattracted her to Augsburg.DARIN ROWLES began taking coursesat Augsburg through the postsecondaryprogram during his senior year in highschool. He completed his freshman year atAugsburg until family issues, chemicalabuse, and other difficulties forced him todrop out. In the mid-90s he completed anassociate degree, but wanted a four-yeardegree. “Education has always been veryimportant in my life, and returning toAugsburg had deep meaning to me. It waspart of my plan to finish where I hadstarted years ago.”Before Rowles resumed his education,he worked in corporate America at jobswith great pay and amazing benefits,Rowles said, but that were less thansatisfying. He also worked at an adultfoster home for people living with AIDS.“I found this work to be very fulfilling,”he said. “I knew I had the knack forworking with people in need and keepinga level head during difficultcircumstances. Social work seemed a goodblend of these strengths.”The students found that studying intheir cohort drew them together inrewarding ways.Initially, Rowles said he wasconcerned about spending two years withpeople who would end up sharing muchof their lives with each other. He quicklylearned this wouldn’t be the case. “Eventhough our group represented a diversemix of race, gender, sexual orientation,age, religion, employment background,and so on, we formed a very close bond,very quickly. Our diverse backgrounds ledto lively, informed debates as we movedthrough our social work curriculum.”Williams said it was comforting attimes going into class knowing this wouldbe there. “I knew them well enough tofeel comfortable calling them when Ineeded help or had questions about classassignments. I really appreciated therelationship I have with them.”Besides sharing help with academics,their mutual support was on a morepersonal level. Rowles said they listenedto each other’s difficulties, and when oneperson was having an especially roughweek, others would step in and be moreinvolved with class discussion to lightenthe load. “We let each other vent aboutthe bad times and celebrated the goodtimes,” he explained. “I honestly don’tknow how I would have survived the pasttwo years without the support of myclassmates.”D.J.M. Edwards, social workundergraduate program assistant, said thatweekend students often feel they are ontheir own, and a support group is a greatadvantage. “Working in a cohort breaksdown barriers over time,” he said. “Whenideas can flow without impediments thecourse material really starts to come tolife.” This was an unusual group, he said,and definitely worked together as a unit,“We are so proud to have beenpartners in their educational journeys,”Bibus added. “The social work professionstands to gain mightily as they embark ontheir careers. The world will change forthe better!”Keme Hawkins is a Weekend Collegecommunication major. Judy Petree is mediarelations manager in the Office of PublicRelations and Communication.Spring/Summer 200433