I had already been a full-time community college student for two years when I decided to switch to online classes so I could pursue a career and degree simultaneously. At the time, I struggled to balance work and school because there weren鈥檛 many options available for English majors to take night courses, and becoming an online student felt like the only way I could reliably manage my time. It was not an easy decision in my early twenties because I loved campus life and didn鈥檛 want to feel isolated from my peers as I pursued my education. However, the reality was that I couldn鈥檛 afford to make the financial sacrifices necessary to have my dream college experience.

At first, only one other person in my life had experience with online courses. Everyone encouraged me, but most of my peers in the workplace already had their degree, and the only time I came into contact with other online students was when I participated in online class discussions. Overall, it was not a bad experience, but it definitely wasn鈥檛 an inclusive experience.

When I finished my Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer Degree and began researching bachelor鈥檚 degree programs, one of the primary things I looked for was how developed the online program was and how much support was available for online students. I remember being immediately impressed with the variety of classes available at 91传媒 for people like me. The admissions team and my academic advisor were also proactive about checking in with me and making sure I was aware of all available resources, such as access to tutoring and mental health counseling, as well as financial resources and online library access. My advisor helped me plan classes based on difficulty so I wouldn鈥檛 feel too overwhelmed during my employer鈥檚 busy season, and when I transitioned from an English major to Interdisciplinary Studies with minors in English and Business, she helped me research the effect such a change would have on my courses. And finally, when I had to take a couple terms off for personal reasons, she didn鈥檛 shame me for giving up and checked in with me to make sure I didn鈥檛 accidentally lose my status as an active student. Her encouragement is one of the reasons I worked up the strength to come back and finish my senior year.

In addition to academic resources, I鈥檝e also felt impressed by how much 91传媒 tries to include online students in its cultural programs and practicum opportunities. For instance, the 2025 Hispanic Film Festival offered online access for students to watch meaningful documentaries and movies about the Hispanic experience in America. There are also multiple programs, such as the Oregon East practicum, that offer valuable remote work experience in exchange for credit. I was particularly excited to participate in the Oregon East Release Gala through the live broadcast and celebrate the journal鈥檚 75th anniversary with on-campus students. As an online student at 91传媒, I feel seen and heard as an individual, and I feel more connected to the school as a community, not just as a transactional experience.

With 91传媒, I have never felt limited as to what I could learn from a distance, and the process of remote learning helped me take ownership of my literature studies in ways that will benefit me after my degree is finished. In my experience, something about my mindset shifted when I moved from an in-person to an online format and my kitchen table became my classroom. Although I still struggle to focus at home from time to time, I forced myself to see my home as a space for learning and sharing knowledge. Distractions were just challenges to be overcome through organization and adjustments to my environment. I learned how to set healthy boundaries with friends and family that prioritized my class and homework schedule, and I created a designated place where I could do my work without distractions in sight. Focus and dedication are skills that in-person classes also require for success, but they became even more important when I had to create them for myself instead of utilizing the spaces available on campus.

Over the years, I鈥檝e also accumulated more connections with others in my local area who have chosen to pursue online courses through a variety of schools, both local and far away, and I love that we formed a small support group for ourselves to encourage each other in our pursuit of education. In a post-COVID world where remote work and education are now common, I no longer feel alone. Online education is not a one-size fits all solution to educational challenges, and students who want to attend in-person classes should do so to the best of their ability. But online education is here to stay, and we are a part of the college community too, even if you can鈥檛 see us. I鈥檓 graduating with my bachelor鈥檚 degree this spring after years of hard work and perseverance, and I鈥檝e never set foot on the 91传媒 campus. But planning my graduation trip to participate in the commencement ceremony feels like planning a trip to visit old friends, to visit home.

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Imagine this: The year is 2045 and the top five best-selling fantasy novels have all been written by AI. You sit down to relax after a long day, turn on Netflix and under the 鈥淣ew鈥� section, you find movies and TV shows with entirely AI-generated scripts. Your favorite authors are now competing with computers who can not only write faster, but better. The world full of creative-minded artists that you knew and loved has become a world where creative writing is better suited for the artificial.

Does that terrify you? Because it sure scares me.

I can admit that it doesn鈥檛 always matter to me who wrote a book or movie that I love, as long as at the end of my experience with it, I feel satisfied.

But I think that this mindset is actually wrong and I鈥檓 not too proud to admit it.

It should matter that the 300+ page novel that took ten years to complete was written by someone who had a dream and worked extensively and painstakingly hard to give you a few hours of escape into a new world.

As a writer myself, I want my words to matter to you because I鈥檓 human. Despite my best efforts not to care what people think, I absolutely do. And if you care what people think of you or the things that you give your time and effort to, that鈥檚 okay. You鈥檙e not alone.

Or maybe you don鈥檛 care what a complete stranger thinks about you, but even so, I know there鈥檚 someone in your life whose opinion matters to you. We鈥檙e human and to varying degrees, we all want to matter to someone. That鈥檚 not embarrassing to say, it鈥檚 the truth.

The reason I think that the mind behind great works of art, literature, and film should matter is because for the sake of this creative minded person who hopes to one day find acclaim as an author, I want to matter to you.

I don鈥檛 want to live in a future where AI produced works are at the top of the New York Time鈥檚 best-seller鈥檚 list while I鈥檓 stuck at home writing my heart out for an audience of one.

But the truth is, that鈥檚 already the reality that we鈥檙e barreling towards, full speed ahead.

A recent article in The New Yorker detailed a polling of creative writing graduate students who compared prompt based writing completed by themselves versus AI-generated writing. Tuhin Chakrabarty, a computer scientist, shared passages written by prominent authors and then fed AI a description of a specific scene that he wanted generated in that particular author鈥檚 style. At the same time, he had graduate creative writing students read the same sample passages and asked them to write a specific scene in the author鈥檚 style. The students then blind reviewed each passage and judged the work accordingly.

The outcome of the anonymous tests initially found that the creative writing students all agreed they hated the AI-generated writing. However, after Chakrabarty imputed that particular author鈥檚 entire history of work and had AI re-write the specific scene, each creative writing student then picked the AI-generated work over anything their group had written. Meaning in this instance, AI became a more successful writer than an entire group of graduate-level creative writing students.

I don鈥檛 know about you but I find that to be shocking, disturbing, and downright alarming.

If this is true, then why write?

Why spend countless hours researching, world building, developing characters, outlining, drafting, re-drafting, and then drafting again?

Why spend so much time with your own imagination to then have your work picked apart by your peers, the general public, and that voice within our heads that tells us we鈥檙e not good enough?

Why not just let AI do all the work for us, especially if it has the potential to be done faster and better?

For me, it鈥檚 because I love to write and regardless of how those graduate creative students voted, I refuse to accept that anything AI wrote could ever be better than the words crafted by someone made of flesh and blood.

Stories are so much more than just words on paper. They are love, pain, hope, and joy. They are the characters we read about that make us feel understood and inspired. They are the glimpses into places we may never see in our lifetime, but while in the pages of a story, it is where we find momentary adventure or solace.

Perhaps AI-generated writing has the potential to bring me stories like this, but I still don鈥檛 want to read them.

At the end of the day, AI may be able to write a story that moves me to tears, but it will always be a story that it will never experience the way I do. AI cannot feel, nor will it hold a story that touches their soul and keep it in their heart for the rest of its life. AI won鈥檛 read words of inspiration and use them to find bravery in tough moments, becoming a better version of itself. AI doesn鈥檛 know what it鈥檚 like to live in this world the way that we do and no matter how smart it becomes, it will never write from its own experiences.

I want to read your story, just as I want you to know mine.

I want to read stories from people, not robots.

How about you?

If you answered yes, keep writing with your own two hands and your own mind. Resist the convenience of turning to ChatGPT for assistance with schoolwork, drafting emails, gathering research, or outlining your next novel. Do the work yourself and one day, when your hard work turns into a finished product that you are so very proud of, I want to read it.

And if you answered no, I would just ask that you read this blog post again. And again. And again, until you come to understand that it was written by me, a person who sat down at her computer at the end of a long and tiring day to reach out to you. The same person who will keep writing because it鈥檚 what I love to do.

The post Why I Write: Creative Writing and the Fight Against AI appeared first on 91传媒 .

By Tyson Johnson

鈥� one flew east, one flew west,

One flew over the cuckoo鈥檚 nest.

鈥擟hildren鈥檚 folk rhyme

As you may have guessed, the staff pick for this month is none other than Ken Kesey鈥檚 famous novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo鈥檚 Nest. Many may be familiar with Jack Nicholson鈥檚 iconic portrayal in the 1975 film adaptation, but Kesey鈥檚 titular character, McMurphy, was being talked about over a decade prior to the film鈥檚 release. If you鈥檝e only seen the movie, trust me, you need to read the book.

What really makes this story interesting is how it centers around the constant battle between McMurphy, the hot-headed newcomer, and Nurse Ratched, the conniving, self-appointed ruler of the mental facility at Oregon State Hospital. Nurse Ratched runs a tight operation that keeps the other patients conformed to her wishes but McMurphy鈥檚 raucous behavior and refusal to conform causes the other patients in the ward to question the Nurse鈥檚 intentions. With a story that takes you through a wild game of cat and mouse, the question as to who is chasing who will constantly be on your mind.

Told from the unique perspective of the silent Chief Broom, One Flew Over the Cuckoo鈥檚 Nest follows the constant chess match between Ratched and McMurphy as they both vie for control of the ward. The constant power struggle between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy keeps you flipping through the pages to see who鈥檚 tactics of manipulation and intimidation will win over the other patients of the mental institution. The tension builds with each subsequent chapter as both Ratched and McMurphy get more and more creative with each new bout. This book will keep you guessing who will end up with all the power to the very end.

The amazing cast of characters is another reason to pick this book up. Every character is unique, each with their own goals and flaws. Kesey鈥檚 writing makes you so attached to these characters as they succeed, fail, and learn more about themselves as the story progresses. I love how they all feel so real. Not a single one feels like a stock character or placed in the story for convenience. They are really there, and so relatable. I found myself reflected in the actions of several characters, realizing my own shortcomings but also my successes as well. For me, being able to see life鈥檚 reflection is what defines great writing.

Kesey鈥檚 masterclass in tension demonstrates not only how to write a compelling novel, but also how power and authority are easily gained and even more easily lost. Exploring themes of power, individual expression, and the human condition, One Flew Over the Cuckoo鈥檚 Nest creates a timeless narrative that you can always go back to. There is always something new to glean from these pages. Since its release in 1962, Kesey has been astonishing readers with his powerful characters, and vivid examination of what it means to be a part of society.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo鈥檚 Nest does what any great literary work should, it makes us question the human condition and then makes us question it further.

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By Delilah Deckert

It is no secret that talking about Ursula K. Le Guin is an easy and all too common choice when talking about great authors of the Pacific Northwest. I think that is for a good reason. Le Guin is a writer of not only great skill but great empathy and depth. My staff pick for the month is the Earthsea series by Le Guin, and while I do recommend the entire series, my favorite book is the second, The Tombs of Atuan.

Tombs does so much as a sequel and as an interesting story in its own right. The first novel, A Wizard of Earthsea, gives you not only an amazing character study on the classic wizard archetype but a vast and lived-in world that feels realistic and allows you to really believe in its secondary reality. In contrast, Tombs says yes we have this world, it’s vast and magical and you know about so much of it, but you鈥檙e going to see so little of it. You鈥檙e going to be taken from this perspective of someone who knows and learns about the world and sees the world and we are going to give you instead the perspective of a young woman who knows half truths and lies, who is expected to see none of the world. No magic, no dragons, just a young girl and a tomb.

Now if that doesn鈥檛 sell you, let me tell you why this book is important to me. In the Earthsea series magic has so much to do with names, to control wind and water you must know its name. Every branch on every tree, every leaf, has its own name.

There is little magic to be found in The Tombs of Atuan but it too deals with the power of names. And this time, instead of names being magic, being powerful and able to change the world around them, names have the very real power to put someone in a place they don鈥檛 want to be. Names are power because they can dictate someone鈥檚 role in life. In The Tombs of Atuan that is just what happens. Without spoiling too much, our protagonist is a young woman who lives in a cult in the middle of nowhere. She was taken there as a child, told she was the reincarnation of a priestess, and forced to become her. To take a name that is not her own, to live and die under the conditions others have forced upon her.

Without meaning to, Le Guin created a fantasy narrative that holds up today not only as a work of amazing fiction, but as a work that to me, as a transgender woman, made me feel seen in a way that I hadn鈥檛 before. It is all too often that I have read fantasy novels about strong cisgendered, heterosexual men, but never a woman with a name that is not her own. The Tombs of Atuan shows us an average woman, who does great things to be free. In a world that feels more oppressive by the day, being free is the bravest thing someone can do.

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Books are magic.

Books bring people together.

The stories that we read, the characters we fall in love with, the thoughts we desire to share.

They turn a stranger into someone you understand.

When you spot someone reading on the bus, and you recognize the corner of the cover they have folded, and the spark in your chest causes you to lean over without thinking and start a conversation.

When I ask my eye doctor what books she likes to read, and suddenly I know what words she鈥檚 going to be consuming on her lunch break. I know she might pick up the one I recommended by the same author.

At work, the hundreds of conversations I鈥檝e had while people bring me their piles of books to purchase.

The excitement they exude when I commend their choices, or when I ask them if they鈥檙e enjoying the series they鈥檙e reading.

Books turn the shyest teenager into a confident, unwavering public speaker.

They lead to an older couple, regulars who I have seen multiple times, giving me a stack of books from their home because I mentioned I wanted to look into that author.

They lead to Instagram sharing and Goodreads swapping.

They lead to a twenty-minute conversation while I鈥檓 balancing a stack of books that I should probably be shelving, but instead I chose to talk with a stranger.

Not only are books filled with stories that engage and inspire us, but they connect us in a way that disregards the conventional behavior we are usually forced into.

Books create a community where people feel comfortable sharing a coffee with someone they met only ten minutes ago.

A community that leads to a customer giving me a book that she has decorated herself, or someone leaving me a bookmark they made.

Books bring people together.

Books are magic.

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Taking a few friends and not enough socks, I backpacked into the Wallowas over a late August weekend, hoping to connect with the outdoors and to better understand the importance of these local mountains.

Designated as a wilderness area in 1940, the Eagle Cap Wilderness contains nearly the entire Wallowa range. It remains a staple retreat among locals, outdoors enthusiasts, and well-informed hikers. Crosshatched trails flow through the range, making nearly any trailhead reachable from any other.

Up the Lostine River, Two Pan trailhead is especially popular. The trail my group chose follows the East Fork Lostine, a river that pounds noisily over waterfalls and down cascades before mellowing into a quaint meadow brook. The trail reflects this with steep switchbacks that peter out into an easy stroll through a smooth alpine valley. Eagle Cap is always in view. The mountain grows as you walk towards it, but there is the feeling that its expression never changes.

We reach the trail鈥檚 end in Lakes Basin. That evening it rains on us and then it hails and rains again. There are no fires allowed in the Lakes Basin, and we are cold and wet but we are most of all glad to be in the mountains. Trends in outdoor gear invoke the philosophy of highlighters and neon signs, and even in the mist our tents seem to glow through the trees. Lakes Basin is a common choice for the overnight backpacker. There are campsites around every bend and most are filled. There is always space, but it can be hard to find. Camps must be kept away from the water, but there is no compromise of beauty. The basin sits in the shadow of Eagle Cap, clouds envelop the peak and mist dips down to the edge of Mirror Lake. Dark water laps at reeds and sand on the shore. Everything is still after the rain.

The next morning we hike Eagle Cap, waking before the sun breaks over the eastern ridges and watching as our breaths curl in the humid morning air. There are no clouds yet today and the moon is still overhead. The summit trail lopes over hills, gulleys, and ridges. There are switchbacks upon switchbacks, false summits, and perilous exposures. It is not a long hike, but the elevation gain is notable. We follow a lone bighorn sheep up the relatively mellow west slope of the peak during the last half mile to the summit. We cannot decide if it is an omen or a spirit or something less meaningful.

There is no wind at the summit and it feels rare and special to have the place so calm. An electric-looking stormfront is rolling in from the west, but it鈥檚 far off. Three people summited before us. Two of them are off smoking over the ledge and the third is eating some sort of electrolyte jelly. The surroundings are epic, the landscape鈥檚 scale reverberates with an overwhelming sense of inspiration. The sun has risen fully, and to the east we can see the Matterhorn glowing silver and behind it the bronze of Sacajawea Peak. Below to the west, the Minam River headwaters have carved out canyonlands and bladed ridges. Lakes glisten between the trees on all sides. A clap of thunder echoes somewhere. But looking out to the west beyond the storm clouds you can see the plains and you can imagine where Baker is and maybe even La Grande. And from this peak, you think that it is possible that you will never have to leave. That this is the entire world and you never have to go away.

Simon Johnson is an English major at 91传媒. His writing is inspired by time spent in nature, especially the mountains near La Grande.

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A perennial question for any book lover is 鈥淲hat should I read next?鈥� This is often followed by the overwhelming slew of thoughts regarding length of book, genre, time available for reading, and so forth. We at Oregon East understand this all too well. So for my staff pick, I am suggesting that we ease into the historical fantasy genre with a book that is both enjoyable and can be completed in a matter of weeks or even days. With its descriptive imagery and action-filled scenes, it is easy to get wrapped up within the imagination of this story, making it a fulfilling and easy read.

My pick is titled Heaven Official鈥檚 Blessing: Book 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu. The story is based on the Anime Heaven Official鈥檚 Blessing and tells the story of Xie Lian, the crown prince of Xianle. Through her descriptive and inventive storytelling, the author takes the reader on the unexpected path of a young prince, who becomes a god as a teenager. Through his journey, Xie Lian forms friendships with mortals and embarks on a quest that defies the heavens. This ultimately leads to the downfall of his kingdom, forcing him to go on the hunt for ghosts and spirits. Finding unexpected love along the way, he must learn to navigate his banishment from the heavenly realm.

This is a tale that not only takes its readers on a journey full of suspense and waves of emotions, but also teaches us life lessons such as trying to have an open mind and keeping a cool head when entering into difficult situations which can help with problem solving and conflict resolution. This is a great story to satisfy your hunger for reading until our next staff pick.

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Welcome to the Oregon East Blog!

Our goal is to create a dynamic space for the 91传媒 community to discuss literature, arts, and culture鈥攁nd to promote the literary and arts events happening on the 91传媒 campus. Blogging East extends the mission of Oregon East鈥檚 annual print journal, whichserves as a place for 91传媒 students to gain practical skills in editing and publishing. With the blog, we hope to not only showcase work from the print journal throughout the year, but to publish timely and informative pieces that engage students, alumni, and community members. Blogging East remains committed to publishing and empowering a diversity of styles and voices, especially those that explore the stories, landscapes, and peoples of the Inland Northwest.

Enjoy!

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As a nature writer I enjoy finding ways to slow down and embrace wild spaces鈥攊nching through a forest after snowfall, climbing a mountain to reach greater heights, smelling damp sand on a beach, and in general discovering and exploring micro and macro ecosystems. In my mind, my nature walk then becomes a narration, sometimes transformative, that includes myself and wilderness, and that buzzes with rich and palatable experiences.

With some practice and experimentation, I found my writing could transcend the traditional narrative form of an arc to become a different type of action. Let the narrative 鈥渕eander鈥� like a tranquil river, or 鈥渨ave鈥� like the constant rhythm of an ocean, or even become a 鈥渢sunami鈥� and surge into being. All these fresh textual forms excite me, and I became more enthusiastic about my writing and its multitude of possibilities, widening my craft with a new palette and canvas. Nature鈥檚 canvas contains colors, designs, and patterns to which our senses are naturally drawn to. By paying close attention to nature鈥檚 phenomena, the boundary between self and nature becomes more porous.

In particular, Jane Alison鈥檚 book helped me recognize nature鈥檚 universal designs and patterns inherent in wild spaces. These environments hold organisms and elements that can germinate stories, plots, and tales. Alison鈥檚 book also brought to my attention how I can become more meditative, thoughtful, and precise during my walks as both a writer and lover of nature. If my observations and senses slow down, I can draw more fully on my surroundings and enhance my appreciation for the intricate art and design found out of doors. Applying Alison鈥檚 narrative 鈥減atterns鈥� and 鈥渆lements鈥� in Meander, Spiral, Explode, here are five ways to discover art in your next walk in nature:

Texture: Notice the texture beneath your shoes as you walk. Does it feel rocky, bumpy, bouncy, hard, soft, mushy, or slippery? Texture can give you information about the terrain, landscape or the broader ecosystem. Use your fingers and palm to feel the texture of plants and soil. Go ahead and rub your palms together with these things in hand. Raise your palms to your nose and smell. What memories do the scents elicit?

Movement and Flow: How does your body move on your walk? Is your walk slow, relaxed, or fast? Are your shoulders relaxed? Are your feet comfortable? Is your back flexible or stiff? Your movement naturally follows your physical and mental state. Notice the movement and flow of the wind that ripples through branch and bough. Wind and water flow is directional. Are you in accordance with the flow of nature around you?

Color: All of us notice color, but do you see the nuance of shades and hues? Can you detect contrasting and complimentary colors? What effect do the colors around you have on your mood? Have you wondered what nature would look like in a different palette of color and hue? How does color affect what you might expect to see?

Patterns in nature often repeat themselves. Some of these patterns can be explained as a phenomenon of mathematics, laws of energy, or the result of chemical interactions. Some patterns have yet to be explained. Regardless of the mechanism involved in their creation, we tend to enjoy observing patterns in flora, fauna, and funga while hiking and exploring. Identifying patterns and examining them carefully provides information about our natural environments and also a glimpse into our perceptions of chaos and order. Some of the general patterns that can be observed in nature include symmetry, branching, spirals, cracks, spots, stripes, chaos, flows, meanders, waves, dunes, bubbles, foam, arrays, crystals, and tilings.

After exploring all of the above, what art and narrative does your journey reveal and what does it say about your wilderness experience? Most importantly, enjoy the journey!

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I was in my thirties when I decided to go back to college. I spent years working what felt like dead-end retail jobs at stores like Hallmark and Hollywood Video, and it seemed as if each store I worked in eventually went out of business. It happened so many times, my friends started calling me the Grim Reaper of Retail. I felt like I needed to do something to get myself into a career with a good future. I had always wanted to be a writer, but years of hearing there was 鈥渘o money in writing鈥� made me afraid I couldn鈥檛 make a career out of it. My mom suggested I pursue a business degree because it was practical鈥攕omething I could use in a variety of ways. I enrolled at Mt. Hood Community College since it was only two miles away from my home and it shared a strong transfer degree program with 91传媒. I was excited about going back to school but when the first day of fall term arrived, I told my husband I was nervous.

鈥淲hat if the other kids don鈥檛 like me?鈥� I asked, only half-joking. Would I be confronted with a roomful of recent high school graduates wondering what I was doing there?

I was in for a surprise that day when I saw that my classmates covered an impressively wide age range鈥攆rom teenagers fresh out of high school to people in their sixties pursuing a second college degree. As my very first Business 101 class ended, I heard someone call my name and looked up to see an acquaintance from high school bustling toward me. It turns out she had decided to go back to college at the exact same time I had. The moment I saw her, I felt like the universe was telling me I was in the right place at the right time.

Since then, I鈥檝e learned there are a lot of benefits of returning to school later in adulthood. To begin with, I appreciate the opportunity more now than I did in my late teens. I no longer think of going to school as something I have to do; I think of it as something I get to do. I get to go to class, I get to study, and I get to learn new things. Having a more positive attitude also means I鈥檓 able to focus on studying more easily now than I was able to in the past.

After spending years working thankless jobs, I find myself more invested in my education, which has made my classes more interesting and rewarding than they were when I was eighteen. I also know myself better now than I did back then. When I was younger, I lacked direction and took random classes that didn鈥檛 really amount to much in terms of a degree. But I鈥檝e had a lot of time to think about what would really be fulfilling for me. In addition to getting that 鈥減ractical鈥� business degree, I decided I also wanted to get a degree in English so I could pursue my dream of working in publishing. I started with Intro to Fiction Writing, and rediscovered my love of storytelling through writing exercises and peer reviews. I learned how to close read, and developed a deeper understanding of classic texts like Beowulf, Doctor Faustus, and Macbeth. as I moved on to courses in Shakespeare and British Literature. I realized there鈥檚 a huge reward to an English degree. The experience has helped me develop valuable skills in analysis, communication, collaboration, and creative thinking鈥攁ll of which can be used in a variety of careers. Marketing, sales, human resources, international relations, and management are all areas of business that require skills that can be learned in the English department.

Returning to school to pursue a long-time aspiration seems to be a common experience among older students who have finally figured out what they want to be now that they鈥檙e grown up. Which brings me to the most important thing I鈥檝e discovered about returning to college later in life: I鈥檓 not alone. According to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), 28 percent of first generation college students are thirty or older. These students have chosen to go back to school for a variety of reasons, whether it鈥檚 to finish their education, get a second degree, or because they don鈥檛 ever want to stop learning. In the words of George Eliot, 鈥淚t is never too late to be what you might have been.鈥�

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