Cherri Ackerman Cherri Ackerman

Cherri is a single mother of two who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in speech-language pathology. After graduation, she plans to attend Graduate School to obtain licensure to practice as a Speech-Language Pathology clinician. She hopes to work with adults and children who have speech and language disorders such as stutterers or cochlear implant patients. As the sole supporter of her family, she feels blessed to have received this scholarship. 
UPDATE:  Graduated in Spring 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Speech -Language Pathology and Audiology.
Christina Cleveland Christina Cleveland

Christina is studying early childhood education. It hasn't always been easy going to school and being a parent to four children, but she wanted to accomplish her goal of getting a degree. This scholarship has made it possible to meet the additional expenses incurred when returning to college. She is grateful and proud to say that she is a recipient and can't wait to show her children that although life may throw you some curve balls, you can accomplish anything. 
UPDATE:  Graduated in Spring 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education.
Michelle Heishman-Beaton Michelle Heishman-Beaton

Michelle was not afforded the opportunity to attend college after high school. With the support of her husband and eight children, she enrolled in the Respiratory Therapy program and has been completing the prerequisite courses for the master's degree program in health sciences. Her family has adjusted and she couldn't be happier. Without the assistance of the Osher Foundation Reentry Scholarship, her husband would still be working around the clock to fill in the gap where her financial aid was lacking.  
Sean Holvey Sean Holvey

Sean plans on graduating from the College of Nursing and would like to continue in the graduate program to become a nurse anethetist. He wants to be a positive role model for his daughters. He is in his sixth consecutive semester and has been on the dean's list for five. By receiving this scholarship, Sean didn't have to put his books on a credit card relieving him of stress and allowing him to focus on his grades.
Joshua Jackson Joshua Jackson

He is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in dietetics and has been on the Dean's list for the last five semesters. Joshua plans to pursue his dream job of being a dietitian at the world renowned Cleveland Clinic. Receiving this scholarship has meant a lot and has allowed him to work less and focus on his academics more. He has also been able to take on more coursework and speed up his path to graduation.  
Ryan Jones Ryan Jones

He is in the computer information systems program and is also pursuing a minor in business management. Recently, he made the difficult decision to drop to part-time at his workplace and take more credit hours in order to finish earlier. Receiving this scholarship has helped relieve some of the strain on his family. As graduation draws near, his immediate career goal is to enter the IT field and work for a consulting company that caters to medium to large businesses. 
Sandra Kizzee Sandra Kizzee

She has worked as a certified pharmacy technician for the last 13 years in her community and is working on getting a degree in biology. She then wants to continue on and become a pharmacist. By waiting until she was older, she feels that she is less likely to take her college experiences for granted. Receiving this scholarship has given her the freedom to focus on school and family.  It also allows her to continue on towards her dream of becoming a pharmacist.
Agne Laramore Agne Laramore

Agne completed three years of college in Lithuania before coming to the U.S. where she got married, became a U.S. citizen, but never graduated from college. She is now working towards a degree in nursing. She feels that nursing transforms life through caring and is a very rewarding profession. Because English is her second language, she is on a slower pace. Relying only on her husband's income has been difficult. This scholarship has helped her greatly this year to get through some financial hardships. 
Joseph Meister Joseph Meister

Joseph did not feel that going onto college was the right thing for him right from high school. He decided to enter the workforce where after years of hard work in hot kitchens he decided to take his life to the next level. He took the adult Student Success Seminar class which helped him transition from an adult worker to an adult student. He plans to graduate with a degree in exercise science and continue to graduate school for a degree in physical therapy. The Osher Scholarship has helped him to continue with his goal.
Jason Miller Jason Miller

Jason is a first-generation college student and getting a degree is something that he has wanted for a long time. He found it difficult his to juggle a job and his school work and receiving this scholarship has helped him to maintain a higher grade point average. He was recently awarded an associate degree in paralegal studies. He is currently working toward his bachelor’s degree in business and organizational communication with a focus in public relations.
Jarrod Raber Jarrod Raber

Jarrod was encouraged to go back to school by a pharmacist he worked with to pursue a degree in accounting in 2007. Initially he wasn't a very motivated student until he lost his friend due to cancer and married his wife in 2009. This scholarship has helped him with the financial burden of school and with the birth of his son in August, the financial burden continues to grow.  His accounting degree has become a bigger goal in his life since the loss of his friend and the birth of his son.   
Randolph Reposa Randolph Reposa

Randolph is pursuing a degree in psychology. He is a displaced retail manager due to the slow economic recovery. While living in California, he assisted families with communication problems through his church. The satisfaction this gave him prompted him to pursue a degree as a clinical psychologist. After he graduates with his bachelor's degree and he plans on continuing onto Graduate School. The Osher Foundation Reentry Scholarship has helped him to obtain this goal.
UPDATE:  Graduated in Spring 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.
Elizabeth Sadzewicz Elizabeth Sadzewicz

Elizabeth is currently pursuing a degree in middle level education with a concentration in math and science. Her career goal is to get a job teaching in a fourth, fifth or six grade classroom. The Osher Scholarship has meant the world to Elizabeth. They are a family of six trying to survive solely on her husband's income. Receiving this scholarship meant they didn't have to put any more stress on their already tight budget.
UPDATE:  Graduated in Fall 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Middle Level Education.
Linda Siegel Linda Siegel

Linda is pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work with a minor in addiction. Her goal is become a licensed chemical dependency counselor. The Osher Scholarship has been beneficial in bridging the financial gap that has occurred since she left the workforce to begin school. The monetary assistance has allowed her to be more focused on her education rather than bills. Receiving this scholarship has made her feel like she is one step closer to reaching her objective.
No Picture Aleks Sowa II
Jason Short Jason Short

He spent most of his childhood as a member of the Amish community, where seeking higher education was considered taboo. After getting married and having children, he decided he wanted to give his family as many opportunities as possible and left the Amish lifestyle. Jason is pursuing a degree in secondary mathematics education. This scholarship shows him that others believe in him and his capabilities of meeting his educational and career goals.
Melanie Spence Melanie Spence

Melanie recently returned to college in order to work toward a more fulfilling career. She will be the first in her family to obtain a college education. Melanie is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work, and intends to complete a master's degree in the future. Given that the financial assistance has allowed her to strive toward excellence, she is happy that her career goals are now within reach.
UPDATE:  Graduated in Spring 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work and a Master of Social Work in Spring 2013.
Richard Teeple Richard Teeple

After 12 years of being away from school, Richard decided to further his education and pursue another degree. He has worked in the automotive field for approximately 14 years as a certified automotive technician at a local dealership. His goal is to be a field service engineer for one of the major auto manufacturers. This scholarship has helped make returning to school a reality, and has lessened the financial burden for his family.
UPDATE:  Graduated in Spring 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Technology.
Jennifer Waicak Jennifer Waicak

Jennifer is pursuing a bachelor's degree in social work. Her immediate goals are to achieve her degree, work in an agency and continue learning so that she can eventually run a small facility for adolescent foster children who are identified as likely to be in out-of-home care until adulthood. This scholarship has alleviated some of the financial pressure of being a single mother, full-time employee and student. It is helping her to reach her future goals. 
UPDATE:  Graduated in Summer 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Work.
Marie Westmeyer Marie Westmeyer 

Marie is a full-time adult student and the single parent of a teenager with special needs. She is a sophomore in the College of Nursing. She expects to graduate in May 2013 with a BSN and a minor in bioethics. Receiving the financial support of the Osher Scholarship has allowed her to concentrate on her family and studies. She currently has a 3.9 GPA and would not be able to maintain that level of academic excellence if she had to work in addition to school and parenting.
UPDATE:  Graduated in Spring 2013 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.