Every year, Blackburn students will graduate and move on to the next chapter of their lives. Throughout those years, these people have taken many different paths that essentially lead back to one place: Blackburn.
Former Blackburn student Kristy Fenton, age 34, works as the Assistant Controller of M&M Service Company in Carlinville, Illinois. When she was a Beaver, she was an accounting major. She was also a commuter, so she did not take part in the work program, but during her sophomore and junior years in college, she played softball. Fenton chose to go to Blackburn because of the small size. She also liked how the teachers had a close relationship with the students. However, one thing Fenton struggled with the most was the realization that she was on her own for the first time, that she was responsible for her future and also figuring out time management. “Trying to figure out that balance of how much time to spend studying was one of the things that was difficult,” Fenton comments.
In the end, Blackburn was the key to success for her. Having her major in accounting along with her other business classes helped her achieve her current occupation. As for advice, Fenton tells current Blackburn students to simply “go to classes.” When explaining her dislike for a psychology class she took, Fenton says, “I got Bs and Cs on all my papers…but in the end, I got an A in the class because I was there, and I was trying.” She also gives some more advice. “Don’t be afraid to change your major,” she says. “What you’re about to do is your entire life. A few extra classes in the grand scheme of life to get to do something that you’re going to be happy with, do it!”
Another former Blackburn student is Marcus Davis. Davis, 33, is the owner of Marcus Davis Lawn Care in Carlinville, Illinois. In school, he had a double major in business management and accounting with a minor in economics. He was a commuter, and he also managed his Lawn Care business while in college. Davis chose Blackburn because “it had the three things I wanted: close to home so I could keep working, affordable price so I could pay for it by myself, and I could still get a bachelor’s degree.” There were still some things that were hard during college for him. Davis struggled with trying to make sure all the basics requirements for his majors and minor were covered along with balancing work, school, and a social life. Blackburn was helpful for Davis in many ways. He states, “I was surrounded by other people who had the same major and the same drives, likes, and interests that I did, and it was nice to be able to become friends with those people.” Davis’s advice for current Blackburn students is to stay close to the friends you make.
Tracy Daley, 54, is an elementary special education teacher at Greenfield Elementary. At Blackburn, her major was elementary education and her minors were language arts and English. For the work program, Daley started out in kitchen maintenance and later moved to be a trainer assistant for the men’s basketball team. In school, Daley was a forward for the women’s basketball team, and she also ran track and played volleyball. Daley was the first in her family to go to college. During the process, her parents helped her because they knew she wanted to be a teacher. Daley wanted to help her parents pay for her college, and she found Blackburn and its work program.
For her, it was a perfect choice because it was also close to her home. While in college, Daley learned self-discipline and time management. “It wasn’t come home from school or go to your practice, then you do your homework and you go to bed,” Daley says. “It was meeting new people and finding your new place.” Being in the work program helped Daley how to be responsible in all areas of her life. It also taught her good time management skills and juggling what life has to offer after college. Daley wants to tell current Blackburn students to take the entire experience in and enjoy the time there. “We’re really lucky, I think, to have Blackburn in our community,” Daley says. “If I had to do it all over again, I would still choose Blackburn…you’re doing more than just paying your college tuition, and doing your studies, you feel like you’re helping out and you’re giving back.”
Blackburn College is home to many, many people who discover many different things about themselves and about life. It is up to the student to use the resources gifted to them to go on and do great things. But within each step onwards, always remember the roots that lead back to Blackburn.