The Joy of a Dream Fulfilled
by Sara Noelle Goodman
There was a package on my doorstep today when I got home from an especially tough day during my practicum. As I sat down and exposed the contents of the box, I quite literally gasped … and then I burst out in tears of joy, relief, gratitude, and the sweet feeling of a dream fulfilled. Let me tell you more …
I applied to George Fox in the fall of 1993. I remember how it felt almost illegal – sitting in the advising counselor’s office filling out an application for college, knowing that "this is not just something we do in our family." You see, I come from a long line of laborers – loggers, welders, truck drivers, dam builders, heavy machinery operators, etc. In fact, I didn't even tell my mom I was going to apply. I remember sitting at our dining room table alone after school one day (did I mention I lived in a rock quarry?) writing my essay for admission. George Fox was the only college I applied to.
Why George Fox? Well, let’s go back a bit further …
My family moved around a lot when I was a kid, and one of the many places we landed for a brief period of time was in Newberg, where we were exposed to the kindness of the Friends church and its members. We began to attend Sunday services, and my siblings and I went to youth groups during the week and to Rockaway Beach Friends Camp during the summer. Many of my mentors, counselors and youth leaders at this very formative time in my youth were attending George Fox College. Their positive example, the way they conducted themselves, and the special way their kindness nurtured my soul felt like aloe on a burn. I began to look up to them in such a way that I made up my mind to attend George Fox.
Which leads us to the acceptance letter in 1994. I remember the initial elation I felt when I got called down to the advisor’s office during science that day in my senior year and he handed me a letter from George Fox as he attempted to conceal a smile. I was absolutely stunned. I jumped up and down, screaming and crying! My friends did not understand my excitement, and it turned out neither did my boyfriend, nor my mother, who immediately questioned, “How are you planning on paying for that?”
Of course, as a 17-year-old I hadn’t really thought about that aspect of college. So ... I began to work full time at a local magazine and attended community college with a plan that I would get my prerequisites. I never planned to quit altogether, but life happens ... Over the next 15 years, I focused on career and family, and today I am proud to say I have the four most important and amazing children and also a grandma to the sweetest little girl you will ever meet.
In 2019, there was a massive shift that took place in my life in which I was forced to confront a future that I did not welcome, nor one that I had financially planned for. My husband announced his intention to file for divorce and sell our farm, and of course, this completely altered my identity and existence.
With the encouragement of friends, a faintly-remembered dream of higher education, and armed with my greatest strength – resiliency – I jumped back into college headfirst. Since then, I have moved four times, even spending one very cold winter in a yurt. It has taken me almost five years of nonstop higher education (and four colleges) to get to where I stand now.
Here I am, on the cusp of my Master of Arts in Teaching degree from the same and only college I applied to all those years ago. It’s been 30 years since I graduated high school, and I have worked hard to gain the knowledge, experience, skills and confidence I now possess – to walk into any school, anywhere, and teach a well-designed, well-planned lesson with aligned assessments. I am proud to stand up on graduation day – Dec. 14, 2024 – as the first one in my entire family to ever earn a master's degree.
I hung my George Fox University 2024 tassel on my bedroom wall today, and I tried on my graduation gown and hood. The amount of pride and achievement I felt as I did this was indescribable.
Thank you, George Fox University, for accepting me – TWICE – and for giving me the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream and call myself a George Fox University alumni! Go Bruins!
Go Bruins!
Sara Noelle Goodman
Class of 2024
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