COCC Crook County graduates celebrate achievements

It’s graduation season, and that has many people thinking of caps, gowns and the thrill of moving on to a new chapter of life. For some Crook County residents, it also means thanking a campus that has helped them along in their education careers – some resumed after years, even decades of living life.

Hillsboro resident Kelly Lewer has autism and has been trying to get her degree for eight years. She finally found her stride in Prineville. She said she lacked support and training in study skills earlier in high school.

“Nobody really expected I would be able to, for the longest time, so getting my degree is validating to me,” Lewer said Wednesday evening. “It’s also something I really wanted to do, and my dad really wanted for me. It feels like the culmination of a lot of hard work.”

The COCC Crook County Open Campus opened in 2011 and helps bring educational opportunities to rural communities by promoting degree completion. Wednesday, it held its first graduation event.

Post resident Lydia Johnson said the campus location was ideal. Johnson said she was timid in the beginning and lacked fundamental computer skills, but she kept the end goal in mind.

“I was 49 years old and did not know how I would do, there being such a big gap between graduating high school and taking these classes,” Johnson said. “I had several children in the meantime, and was just a stay-at-home mom. So I relaxed here and got over my nervousness.”

Shellie Piskey could only attend college part-time while helping her husband run a business. The location of the campus helped her finish her degree in four years.

“I have always wanted to have a degree, and I had started when I was younger, about 18 or 19 years old, and was not able to complete it. So it has been a goal,” Piskey said. “It’s really great to know that after being out of school for 30 years, I could do it.”

Prineville resident Sheena York said taking a break from school after high school helped her appreciate the value of education even more.

“I started out as an exploratory student, not really sure what I wanted to do when I was younger, and took a break from school and found what I was passionate about in life, which is events,” York said. “I decided I wanted to have my own small business, being an event coordinator, and thought I should probably have some skills to go with that.”

These are some of the people who, no matter where they are in life, are thankful for the opportunity to work toward a degree.