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shawnee.edu/commencement

December 9, 2020

“I wanted 2020 to be the year we all graduated.”

When the coronavirus pandemic began this past spring, Kathryn (Brandenburg) Cochran debated postponing her final semester at Shawnee State until the virus was under control.

“It was just overwhelming to focus on school during all of this,” she said. “But then I thought about how one of my sons graduated from preschool in the spring, and my other son graduated from Kindergarten. I wanted to graduate in the same year as them, for them.”

Cochran first started attending Shawnee State at age 21. After taking a break from school, she returned and is now finishing her degree ten years later.

“I was working full-time, had two kids, and was also attending school full-time,” she said. “It was a lot. I was really grateful for the opportunity to take so many hybrid classes at SSU to help me be flexible.”

Woman with two boys in graduation regalia
SSU graduate Kathryn (Brandenburg) Cochran pictured with her two sons.

Attending school for the second time, Cochran focused on her time management, many times completing schoolwork at the kitchen table with her kids who were finishing their own homework. Balancing her responsibilities, she found support in her faculty members.

“Dr. Boehle was one of my favorite professors,” she said. “She was really more than just my professor – she was my mentor. She understood how I felt and she always believed in the fact that I could keep going to finish my degree.”

Cochran will be graduating from SSU with her bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration this semester.

“Shawnee State has given me the drive to keep going many times, and now in my career I want to find a way to keep growing that relationship,” she said.

Shawnee State University’s Fall Commencement Ceremony will be available to stream starting on Sat., Dec. 12 at 9 am. For more information visit shawnee.edu/commencement.