The Turning Point

She had not expected this letter. The postmark was Machias, Maine, and the return address said "Admissions Department, Washington State College, O'Brien Avenue, Machias , Maine. Karen had visited the campus once and loved the school, but her parents didn't believe in college for girls-"You're only going to get married, so what's the point?"-and she had no money with which to attend.

Karen's friends had always assumed they would go to college, and had worked and saved for it all through high school, plus their parents had money set aside for it. This was her senior year, and even though she had worked some in the past, her money had been spent on school clothes each year, so her mother wouldn't have to make them anymore.

There were 3 academic tracks in Karen's high school: College, Business, and General. As a freshman she had taken all the college bound classes, and managed to get A's and B's in those. At the end of the year, her guidance counselor, Mr. Matheson, had given her the list of college classes available to sophomores. When she took it home to her parents, her Dad looked at and said, "What's the point of taking those classes when you're not going to college. Switch to the business program and take some courses that will help you get a job when you graduate." She had protested, but her Dad insisted, and you didn't argue with him, if you knew what was good for you.

Back at school, she'd told Mr. Matheson what her Dad told her to do, and he had nodded, sadly. He looked at the master schedule for sophomores and helped her set up her class schedule; he juggled things a little so that she would be in the college English and history classes in addition to the courses she had to take for a business certificate at graduation. He did the same thing for her junior and senior years, so she was able to have the more challenging English and social studies classes.

In September of her senior year, Mr. Matheson called her into the guidance office and asked, "What do you think you would like to do after graduation, Karen?" The first time he asked, she answered that she thought she would like to be a beautician; she had given her sister-in-law and her mother home perms and haircuts and it seemed a logical choice. "No, you would be too bored. Think about it some more."

Several times during the year, Mr. Matheson had called her into his office and posed the question again. Each time, he would shake his head no to her answer and send her off to give the matter more thought. Finally, one day he called her in just after she had attended a presentation by a recruiter from a business college who had spoken about various business careers, including one as a business educator, teaching accounting, etc. to high school students. For lack of a better answer, this time when he asked, she responded, "I think maybe I'd like to be a business teacher."

It was an off the top of her head response; she hadn't really given it much thought. This time the guidance counselor smiled, nodded his head, and she noticed his bushy eyebrows and kind grey eyes.

"I notice you have a study hall period 4. I'm going to arrange for you to audit an Algebra class. You took it your freshman year, but it's been a while and a refresher before you take the SAT would be a good idea." Karen had no plans to take the SAT; that was something the college-bound students took. It didn't make sense to her, but she agreed.

Mr. Matheson helped her fill out an application to the University of Maine in Machias, telling her they had an excellent business education program. "But Dad says I'm not going to college, and I don't have any money for it." She took the SAT and was overwhelmed. Certain that she failed, she returned the college application to him. "That's never going to happen," she said, tossed the application on his desk, and stormed out of his office, humiliated.

Now, here was a letter from the University in her hand. "Congratulations. You have been accepted into this fall's freshman class. Report for orientation August 27." Karen questioned her guidance counselor the next day, and he told her he had submitted her application and paid the fee himself. "You have the ability to succeed. Don't let anything stand in your way. Go for it." His confidence in her brought tears to her eyes.

"Dad, I'm going to college in September," she announced with determination as she marched into the kitchen.