Breaking a new trail is never an easy task, be it trekking through the wilderness, advancing professionally, achieving academic success, or countless other accomplishments in life. Marcie Shahan knows this as well as anyone.
Since graduating from high school and signing up for her first semester of college in Sept. 2003, her path to earning a bachelor’s in Organizational Management with a minor in Finance in June of 2018 has not been easy.
Like many of us, Shahan entered college with a goal to be the first in her family to earn a college degree, but found it challenging to strike a balance between the demands of work and college. From 2003 to 2015, she attended Delaware Technical Community College, but was forced to put her studies on hold several times to focus on work. At the same time, she worked jobs ranging from retail to account management at large financial institutions, often working multiple jobs simultaneously. In 2008 she scored a full-time post with the State of Delaware’s Office of Child Care Learning, in the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families. Shahan has since has continued her professional development, earning several promotions with the State of Delaware. Finally, in 2014, her passion for education and assisting others came together when she started working with the Delaware Department of Education, Office of Early Learning.
Since beginning her employment with DDOE, where she assists with the management of state and federal budgets totaling more than $40 million among many other responsibilities, Shahan earned her associate degree in Business, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and immediately began work on her bachelor’s at Wilmington University. While studying, she also obtained a Certified Administrative Professional (CAP) designation from the International Associate of Administrative Professionals. In collaboration with the College of Online and Experiential Learning, her CAP certification was assessed to establish a new equivalency for 12 college credits.
Never one to rest on her laurels, Shahan will begin her master’s degree program in Instruction, Teaching and Learning in July of 2018 with the goal of advancing to an education associate or specialist position with the DDOE upon graduation.
The College of Online and Experiential Learning (COEL) offers online learning, experiential learning, and assessment of prior learning to provide additional pathways for degree completion. Learn more here.