_{Bobbie Jo Rose}

When Bobbie Jo Rose, age 39, walks across the stage to receive her degree in interdisciplinary studies from Tennessee Tech University on May 5, it will mark the realization of a dream that once seemed out of reach.

The mother of three from Sweetwater, Tennessee long had visions of attaining a college education, but circumstances didn’t always make it easy. Rose had her first child, a son, when she was 17.

“I wanted to go to college so bad, but I needed to stay home and take care of him for a couple years,” she explained.

Two more children, a divorce, and remarriage later, she was ready to make that dream a reality – now with the full support of her husband, James. 

“It was a whole different world,” Rose said of meeting her husband. “Instead of me being the sole income for the house, I actually had a partner. I found myself at the right time with the right help to be able to go back to school. I wanted to show my kids that their mom could actually do it.”  

As a recruiter for a staffing agency, Rose had found a fulfilling career but knew that a degree from Tech would help her continue to advance in her profession.

“I had experience and self-taught educational value but, with a lot of jobs, the first thing they ask for when you apply is a bachelor’s degree,” she said.

With her children nearing adulthood – the oldest was already serving in the U.S. Air Force – Rose enrolled at Tech in the fall of 2020. She found the online course offerings at Tech well-suited for the demands of her full-time work schedule and family needs.

“I needed something flexible enough to let me still be a full-time worker, but also a full-time college student and a mom,” Rose said. “I found that, at Tech, I can take my classes online. That helped, not having to be tied down to a classroom at a very specific time.”


_{Bobbie Jo pictured with her three children.}

Still, Rose felt some trepidation about wading back into a setting that is mostly populated by teenagers and early 20-somethings.

“The other kids, they’re so much younger. They seem to have more energy, and you kind of fear what they think. It’s a big world to step back into once you’ve been gone for so long,” Rose said. “You have to overcome a little bit of that fear of not being accepted by the other students or what they think of you. Most college-aged students are between 18 and 22. I have kids their age!”

In time, Rose would come to see her interactions with fellow students as the best part of her Tech experience.

“I think [the option of virtual learning] is a lot better because you don’t have the judgment or fear of sitting with someone one-on-one. You don’t care what they look like. A lot of people say more when they’re behind their computer screens. They open up more and interact with you more and joke with you more,” Rose added. “Learning about new people and new students, where they come from, what they’re looking forward to, and what they’re going to do with their degrees - that was really interesting.”

With graduation now in sight, Rose says the support of her family has carried her through this process. 

“My husband is very proud. He comes from a bigger family too and, on his side of the family, nobody has ever graduated from college. So, he’s very excited about it,” she said. “And my kids think it’s amazing that mommy went back to college. One of my daughters wrote an essay in school about it. She’s a teenager, and I’m not always cool to her now, so it touched my heart.”

As she ponders her next chapter as a Tech alumna, Rose says it’s “a little surreal.”

“I have been thinking a lot about what I am going to do next,” she said. “I have a personal standard that I’ve been trying to live up to. I know this education is another step for me in trying to reach the top of the staircase.”

In her achievements, Rose sees a valuable lesson. 

“You make mistakes sometimes in life but, as long as you have a goal and a dream, it doesn’t matter how old you are. You can still do it,” she said. “It doesn’t matter that I have three kids. I can still do it too.”

 

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