Returning to finish: Lauren Baker balances career, family and a degree at YSU

Student Spotlight

Youngstown State University provides nontraditional students with flexible pathways and resources designed to make earning a degree possible while balancing responsibilities outside the classroom. For Lauren Baker, YSU’s accelerated bachelor’s program provides the flexibility to continue her education while working full time and raising a family.

Now in her senior year and final semester, Baker is nearing the completion of a degree she first began working toward more than a decade ago.

Baker first entered college in 2010 and earned her associate degree in 2013. She intended to continue toward a bachelor’s degree, but after having her second child, her priorities shifted toward her family and career.

“During finals, I actually took one of my exams in the hospital, after giving birth to my daughter,” Baker said.

After completing her associate degree, Baker built a career in accounting and payroll. As she progressed professionally, however, she began to see how completing her bachelor’s degree could help her pursue additional opportunities.

“I just feel like it was preventing me from furthering my career,” Baker said. The possibility of returning to YSU remained in the background. Amy Cossentino, dean of the Sokolov Honors College and Cliffe College of Creative Arts and a longtime family friend, had encouraged Baker to consider returning to school.

Eventually, Baker connected with Mary Coller, director of undergraduate programs in the Williamson College of Business Administration, and learned more about YSU’s accelerated bachelor’s program.

“She took a lot of phone calls with me, kind of working out the details, getting all my classes in order and just really kind of helping me plan everything out,” Baker said.

Baker also credited Cossentino and Mollie Hartup, director of the Sokolov Honors College, with supporting her throughout the process.

“Collectively, those three were a huge impact on me coming back to school and getting it all together,” Baker said.

For Baker, the flexibility of the accelerated program has been essential. She has balanced a full-time work schedule with family responsibilities and coursework, often completing assignments during evenings and weekends.

“I really like the accelerated program because it gives you the opportunity to work at your own pace throughout the week, no scheduled class times or traveling to campus,” Baker said. “It just makes it easier to juggle working fulltime, taking care of my family and school.”

That flexibility reflects YSU’s broader support for nontraditional students. YSU considers students nontraditional if they meet one or more criteria, including being 25 or older, returning to school after taking a break or assuming multiple life roles such as parent, spouse or partner, full-time employee, caregiver and student.

The university offers adult peer mentors for new adult and veteran students during their first year at YSU, assistance with scheduling and registration, and academic coaching for current and entering adult students. YSU also offers opportunities to earn credit from nontraditional educational sources, including Prior Learning Assessment Credit, which allows students to demonstrate college-level learning acquired outside the classroom through experiences such as employment, military service, civic engagement and professional training.

For Baker, having a program structured around the realities of working adults made returning to college attainable.

“If it weren’t for that, I don’t think I’d have been able to return to school to get this done,” Baker said. “Full-time return is only possible because of that program.”

Returning to the classroom brought challenges. Baker found herself revisiting material she had studied years earlier while moving into more advanced accounting courses. Her first class back was particularly demanding.

“It was a very difficult class, and I was definitely questioning my choices,” Baker said. “I was like, ‘I can’t do this in seven weeks.’”

Finishing that course became one of the moments that showed Baker she was capable of completing what she had started.

“Once I got through that and I started getting a system and getting A’s on some of the quizzes, I’m like, ‘I could do this. I think I got this,’” she said.

Returning to college with years of professional experience has also changed Baker’s approach to her education. Her background in accounting and payroll gives her practical experience she can connect to what she learns in the classroom.

“I’ve got years of experience in my field, so I feel like some of these classes are even a little easier because I’ve got that background,” Baker said. “I’ve got that basic knowledge.”

Her motivation is different, too. With graduation approaching, Baker said completing her degree represents a personal accomplishment as well as an opportunity to continue advancing professionally.

“I’m too close to let it fall apart,” she said.

Baker hopes to remain in payroll while pursuing opportunities in leadership and mentorship. She said earning her bachelor’s degree could help open the door to those opportunities while allowing her to continue working in a field she enjoys.

“I want to stay in my field in the payroll world,” Baker said. “I just really enjoy it. I think it makes a huge impact, and no matter what company you work at, your payroll is important for people.”

Baker also encourages other adults who may be considering returning to college not to let age, family responsibilities, work or time away from school discourage them. She has already recommended YSU’s accelerated program to others considering a return to higher education.

“If you’re thinking about coming back to school, YSU’s accelerated program is the way to go at this point,” Baker said.

Her perspective on being a nontraditional student has changed along the way. When Baker first entered college in her early 20s, she said the term made her feel as though she belonged to a different group of students. Today, she views it much differently. “At the end of the day, a nontraditional student is still just a student,” Baker said.

Through flexible academic pathways, individualized guidance and resources for adult learners, YSU provides students like Baker the opportunity to return to college while balancing careers, families and other responsibilities — and continue working toward the degrees and goals they once put on hold.