Marlena Gordon’s journey at Peirce College originally started back in 2000 when she decided it was time to get the guilt of not going to college off her back and finally accomplish her dreams.
“I decided to earn my degree as an adult because I was ready to reverse my regret of not going to college right after high school. This was my chance to achieve my goals!”
Discovering Peirce College
After deciding it was time to return to school, Marlena started talking to coworkers and friends to find the best place for her. After research and many conversations, Marlena Gordon decided Peirce College was the right fit.
Marlena originally enrolled in Peirce’s Associate in Science in Business Administration program and conquered that step with ease graduating in 2003. She decided to keep her momentum going and enrolled in Peirce’s Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Management program.
“I decided to earn my degree as an adult because I was ready to reverse my regret of not going to college right after high school.”
During her bachelor’s program, though, Marlena ran into a bump in the road. “My mother passed away in 2012, just 3 days before I was about to begin my last semester in my bachelor’s program. I had to withdraw due to this hard time and began to justify my incomplete degree by saying, ‘I only have two classes left to finish my bachelor’s degree,’” explained Marlena. “After a while, though, this statement started to feel like an excuse for failing. I finally had enough with this excuse and returned to Peirce to finish what I started.”
Finishing What She Started
Marlena came back better than ever and completed her bachelor’s degree in August of 2016. Though this accomplishment was not easy, she decided she still had determination in her to earn one more degree.
“After finishing my bachelor’s, I still did not feel complete and that’s because back in 2000 I told myself I would keep going until I had a master’s degree.”
And that is just what Marlena did. After attending a Peirce College Graduate Studies Open House, Marlena discovered her experience in the workplace and goals of obtaining a master’s degree aligned perfectly with Peirce’s Master of Science in Organizational Leadership & Management program.
Three-Time Graduate
Starting in Peirce’s MSOLM program in January 2017, Marlena worked hard and found herself a three-time Peirce graduate as of June 2019. Marlena said during her time at Peirce, for all three degrees, she valued the flexibility and quality of learning. “Peirce’s opportunity for students to select what suits us best as working adults (on-campus or online or both) made it easier to juggle life’s happenings,” said Marlena. “Additionally, the interactive learning from the Peirce professors, not only helped me understand and retain the information, but it assisted me in applying what I learned directly to my professional career.”
Currently, Marlena is an Administrator with the City of Philadelphia, Department of Public Health, Air Management Services Division where she has been advancing in management for the last seven years. With her new degree, she hopes to showcase her new skillset and continue to grow in her career.
Marlena said now that she has three degrees in-hand, she reflects back on her overall experience finding it challenging, but so rewarding. “Earning my degree as an adult was challenging because of life’s other responsibilities and circumstances, but also so rewarding for reasons such as setting an example for my children that I did not quit and we can do anything we set our minds to.”
Congratulations to Marlena Gordon on all three degrees!