Making a Difference Through Research

I discovered my love for learning at MJC. In my youth I had done well in school, but never really cared. I did the work to get through, not really paying attention to the importance of my education. Through courses at MJC like geology and anthropology, I realized how exciting and life-changing it was to learn about the world and our place in it. I wanted to be a better person and do more to help others to enjoy learning. I was a non-traditional student, employed, with small children at home. It took me a few years to finish my associate degree in 2005. I went back to school full time in 2010. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Philosophy in 2012 from Northern Kentucky University, my master’s degree a year later in Educational Studies from the University of Cincinnati, and I’m on track to get my Ph.D. in 2015. I study Educational and Community-Based Action Research, focusing on issues of social justice in education. I’m a first generation college student. My family couldn’t afford to send me to a university. If I hadn’t gone to MJC, I might never have made it this far. MJC empowered me to want to make a difference in the world, and hopefully I will.

- Amy Rectar-Aranda, Class of 2005