At the age of 43, Nan Morrison did not have her degree. She wasn't necessarily unhappy at her job, but she certainly wasn't intellectually stimulated. She didn't know exactly where she wanted to go in life, but she knew that her current job wouldn't take her there. That's when she decided she had to make a life change. She enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies program at Georgetown, and then stayed to get her master's degree. Her education was truly transformative.

"It fundamentally changed my whole paradigm of life and possibilities," says Morrison. "Not only did the rich collegiate environment nurture me, but I went on a self-enrichment journey that change me."

She received two promotions by the time she graduated, and helped coordinate two projects of national scope. She credits the program with helping her develop her self-confidence and with finding her muse. Her passion has become helping people reconnect with the values associated with art appreciation — values she feels are neglected today. She paints and does volunteer work related to the arts.

"It changed my perspective on the future," she says. "I have so many ideas. I can look at a painting and understand its place and time. I can understand that culture, that people, and what was important to the artist. Seeing the nexus of those images and those people from an interdisciplinary world view expanded my mind and enriched my soul."

Nan cautions older students returning to school not to feel that college is for the young or to see it as a missed opportunity. Though embarking on a degree program at mid-life was somewhat frightening for her, she was buoyed by access to the faculty and support from her fellow students, each of whom had his or her own incredible story.

"I just decided I couldn't look at it in time terms," she explains. "I decided not to look at it as an impossible ideal, but as one course and one paper at a time. It's all about a personal commitment. As for me, other than mentoring, it is the most important thing I've ever done."