A modern Mother’s Day tale
– By Sharleen Nelson, BS ’06 (news-editorial, magazine)
I had big plans. I wasn’t sure exactly what those plans were, but they were big. Dropping out of school, however, wasn’t one of them. In high school, I was a consummate underachiever. The small-town school I attended in the 1970s was not terribly big on encouraging girls to pursue college. Frustrated and bored, I was eager to leave and get going on life. When I discovered I was pregnant I dropped out my senior year to get married. (Before the year was up, I had taken my GED to graduate).
Not unexpected, the marriage failed, but fortunately, I was lucky enough to land a good job as an operator at the telephone company. I started taking evening classes at the community college but as a single mother working full-time, I was on my own so finding and being able to afford a babysitter for my son Daniel during both work and school was difficult. I discovered that, unlike high school, I loved college, but I had no choice, I had to drop out. Eventually, I remarried, worked at many places, and had two more children (Cory and Kaylee).
After moving to Oregon in 1991, I was hired at a local publishing company that produced trade magazines and it was there I discovered my calling: to be an editor and writer. At that time, a degree wasn’t necessarily a requirement, and I was on a mission. Making a nuisance of myself I shadowed whoever would let me to learn all I could about magazine production. After several failed attempts, I was finally hired as assistant editor on Spectroscopy, an analytical chemistry magazine (and one of the most technical) and eventually, associate editor.
When the company was sold, I moved to southern California and joined the staff of Video Store Magazine, a weekly entertainment tabloid. It was a crazy, fast-paced, rollercoaster job that I absolutely loved. It forced me out of my shell. I had to do things that were way, way, way out of my comfort zone, like schmoozing and interviewing people, but it also presented a number of wonderful opportunities to interview high-profile people in the entertainment industry, including Mel Brooks, Morgan Freeman, Thora Birch, Ethan and Joel Coen, John Sayles, Sister Helen Prejean, and others.
After a few years, we returned to Oregon, and I worked as a book editor until the first recession hit and I was laid off. Times had changed and I realized that although I had 10 years of solid experience under my belt, no one was going to hire me without a degree. I was 45. It seemed like the perfect time go back to school and finish what I had started 25 years before.
I attended Lane Community College first and finished up the general undergrad requirements before transferring to the School of Journalism and Communication at UO where I double-majored in news editorial and magazine with a minor in communications.
“Once you quit, it’s hard to go back if you ever do. Life gets in the way.”
Once you quit, it’s hard to go back if you ever do. Life gets in the way. But there are benefits to being an older, nontraditional student. For one, I was far more focused, much more disciplined, and I was close to the same age as some of my professors, some of whom became my friends. I loved the UO campus in all its seasons—from the busy fall terms to the laid-back summers. I loved being a student. I lived for the exhilarating exchange of ideas, the new discoveries I made every day. I even sort of loved the calculus class I took on the non-air-conditioned third floor of then-named Deady Hall during that summer the temperatures soared into the triple digits!
My son Cory Huffman was also at UO majoring in religious studies. He was married now and was starting to sour on school. He mentioned to me that he thought he might quit. Knowing how hard it is to return later, I “gently” urged him to finish. We even took a class on religion and psychology together and perhaps begrudgingly, he listened to his mom and stuck it out.
Finishing in two years, I completed my studies winter term 2006, graduating magna cum laude with a BS in journalism. Cory finished up in spring 2007 and we walked together at commencement.
It was a proud yet bittersweet moment for both of us because in February, my dad died and did not get to see his daughter and grandson graduate from college. But at the same time, my daughter Kaylee Crum also graduated from North Eugene High School, so we had a great time celebrating three graduates at once!
As with Cory, I encouraged my daughter to continue with school. She attended LCC but also found herself tiring of it and wanting to quit. Once again, mom stepped in (or maybe overstepped!) and persuaded her to keep going. Once she transferred to UO, she excelled, and some of my best memories are of times we shared together discussing all the interesting topics she was studying. In 2016, Kaylee graduated from UO with a BA in sociology.
My meddling also extended to my stepson Josh. A talented writer, like his dad, he was at a crossroads. I encouraged him to pursue a journalism degree. He graduated from UO in 2008.
In 2015, I was hired at UO as an editor/writer in University Communications. I am lead editor and the arts beat writer for Around the O and Oregon Quarterly. I published my first novel, The Time Tourists in 2018 and its sequel, The Yesterday Girl, was released this year.
Although I am certainly proud of my own academic and career achievements, I am most proud of my “Ducklings.” I don’t regret pushing them and I hope they don’t either. I am eager to see all the exciting things to come in their lives.