Gloria Lord
BFA - Visual Communications Graduate

Meet Gloria Lord: My degree was worth the wait!

Gloria Lord waited until she was 50 to get her college degree. "Better late than never," she says. Having waited so long for her Bachelor's Degree, Gloria is wasting no time in putting it to use however. Just six months after graduating, Gloria, a registered Realtor for 16 years, founded her very own company, Legacy Realty Consultants.

"Already, my firm is thriving. I feel my education in visual communications and digital design at AIU Online helped significantly in enhancing the company and myself."

While being an adult learner is intimidating enough for most people, Gloria had another obstacle to overcome. No one in her family had ever graduated from college before. "I am the first to graduate from college from either side of my family! Although my parents were quite intelligent, they lacked the financial means to give any of their children a college education. I consider the fact that I got my college degree, at the age of 50, one of my most significant accomplishments. I was absolutely elated on graduation day."

Getting her degree wasn't a cakewalk though. "I did it while working full time as an Associate Broker/Manager of a real estate firm and while raising two sons. There were plenty of times I wanted to throw the towel in, but that was when my tenacity really came through." Despite these hardships, Gloria managed to graduate summa cum laude. "Once I set my mind to something, I really get going."

From the time she made up her mind to get her Bachelor's Degree, Gloria knew it would be through an online program. "I didn't want a traditional school because of my age—I didn't want to sit in class with a bunch of teenagers—and because I was already an established professional." Gloria checked out a handful of online schools before settling on AIU Online. She liked the school's Bachelor of Fine Art program, which she eventually chose as a major (with a concentration in Digital Design).

Having enjoyed and learned so much at AIU Online, Gloria now seeks out online alternatives to continuing education classes she must take to keep her Realtor designation current. "I like the self discipline online classes require and the ability to do things on my own schedule. I love being able to do things at home and at my convenience. AIU Online taught me so much more than the subjects in the classroom; I learned a lot about how self-motivated I am."

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