Anne came to Ivy Tech as a nontraditional student in the fall of 2006.  She has attended as a full-time student ever since, while concurrently being a wife and mother to three children: a daughter who is now enrolled in college, and two sons, one of whom is a police officer and one who has served in the US military.

Prior to attending Ivy Tech, Anne served her country for an amazing 27 years in the US army, achieving the rank of Master Sergeant E8.  Her tours of duty included Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, where, for a time, her son was stationed concurrently.  Anne was able to apply some of her military credits to her liberal arts degree at Ivy Tech and this summer she will take her Liberal Arts degree to Indiana University-Kokomo where she will work toward her BS in General Studies.  Anne provides a wonderful Ivy Tech transfer success story that is sure to motivate others to do the same.

Anne has been a dancer virtually all her life; her professional dance experience includes membership in The Gospel Music Workshop of American Liturgical Dance Troop.  Even before becoming an Ivy Tech student, Anne was known to many at the college for her community service and volunteer work.  As director and choreographer of the Mt. Pisgah Praise Dancers, she and her students performed for years at Ivy Tech’s annual Martin Luther King Day Celebration.  Her commitment to community service is evident in these activities, as well as in her work as a volunteer teacher at the Kristy Wright School of Dance and as a volunteer physical fitness trainer for various groups and individuals in need.  Anyone who has watched Anne work with young people knows that she is a champion for excellence.  She expects only the best from herself and she urges the children she teaches to never settle for mediocrity; the children in turn respond by meeting higher standards than they’ve ever thought possible.

Although Anne’s experiences in the military and as a dancer would seem to many to be the ultimate challenges, Anne says that her greatest challenge has been coming to college as an adult student.  Despite her many accomplishments, Anne conveys great empathy for the fears and concerns of her fellow students, many of whom have reported that she is their favorite classmate—someone who motivates and inspires them to persevere and give their all for their goals.  Her instructors report that she is the kind of student who makes their jobs easier; she leads the rest by her example and sets a high bar for herself and others.