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Couple sold home to finance educationEdith and John McLaughlin can tell you the cost of higher education: a 12-room house in West Warwick and a 1987 Nissan Sentra. That's what the couple sold to finance their education. "We reassessed what we wanted to do," said Edith. "We disposed of all the excess and downsized. Besides, we had more than we needed." Edith graduated with a Bachelor's of General Studies Degree from URI's Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education (ASF-CCE) last month. John, who earned a Bachelor of General Studies from URI in 1998, also graduated in May, this time earning a Master's of Business Administration degree. "We could never have done it so quickly if the children weren't already grown and out of the house," said 48-year-old John. The couple has three children and three grandchildren. They live in a one-bedroom apartment just up the street from the URI Providence Campus. "When I first walked into the College in 1996, I held back a little," said John with a smile. "Everyone was so helpful and cheerful. It's part of the environment but at first I thought they were salesmen." Both Edith and John went on to become peer counselors for the Student Services Office, often helping other adult students juggle family, schoolwork, and employment. "It's important to help new students," said Edith. "They often come here with low self-esteem because they haven't been successful in their earlier schooling. We try to provide them an understanding ear along with encouragement, and try to share successful strategies we have used." The couple, married 29 years, met when Edith chaperoned her younger sister's party and John attended. Raised in South Providence, Edith attended Central High School and pursued the business program; the college prep program was out of the question due to the cost of college. While raising the children Edith, worked on plastic conversion machines for 10 years at Union Paper. She later worked in the research and development section of Astro-Med. "I often thought about college. It was something that was always in the back of my mind," the 50-year-old recalled. After John graduated from high school he worked 13 years for Almacs supermarkets, the last 10 years on the third shift. In 1983, he went to work for the City of Providence as a firefighter and earned an associate's degree in fire science at Providence College. In his 14th year on the job, he suffered a back injury that forced him to take early retirement. "I had to make an abrupt transition," he said. Along with three partners, John opened a small business selling computers. However, he soon realized that real success was to be found in management, not sales. That's when the couple decided to set their sights on education. Edith who focused her studies on health services has applied to URI's Graduate School for entry into its Labor Research Program. John, who has worked this year in the financial aid office at the ASF-CCE, has been asked by the College to remain on staff to do both academic advising and teach a computer science course this summer. The couple has earned a high approval rating at the College. "I was John's academic advisor and he was and is exactly the kind of student who makes my job so easy," said Carol Bonenfant. "And then along comes Edie. You don't always have the opportunity to work with an outstanding student, but an outstanding couple...WOW!" "I'd do it again," said Edith. "It's been worth every moment. It is a trade off. You need to give up something to get something. This is something I've always wanted to do." Nodding toward her husband she added: "Besides, it's more fun doing it with him." By Jan Sawyer |
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