When Sherry DeMarais heard the doctor say, “your skull is cracked open and your brain is coming out of your ear,” she thought she was dying.
This was not how she hoped her second semester of college would go after taking a long break. DeMarais tried college in her early twenties but opted instead to focus on raising her three kids.
Years later, after working as a business director and getting passed on for a big promotion because she didn’t have a degree, she knew it was time to go back to college.
“I always wanted a degree,” said DeMarais. “I wanted to prove something to myself and inspire my kids. I also wanted to better myself and thought, How can I be of service in the second half of my life?”
DeMarais enrolled in the Management AAS program at North Hennepin Community College. Since it had been so long since her last college experience, she chose in-person classes.
Things were going well. She even made the Dean’s List for earning a high GPA.
“Being an older student, I took it much more seriously,” said DeMarais. “It was really important to me.”
Then Covid hit, and all DeMarais’ classes went online.
DeMarais left her job as a business director to focus on her online classes and elected to work part time.
“I was overwhelmed at first, like, What’s D2L? It was a huge learning curve. I just dug in. I asked questions. I read the syllabus. I got organized. I had three classes, so I got three folders and three notebooks. Now that I'm so far into it, it's second nature to me and it's much easier to navigate online,” explained DeMarais.
Then she got the call. Her doctor explained how her skull was cracked, her brain was coming out her ear, and she needed brain surgery.
On top of that, since this happened during the pandemic and she wasn’t technically dying, DeMarais had to wait three months for her surgery.
“It was very hard to be patient, stay focused, and study while wondering, am I going to live tomorrow? Am I going to wake up?”
All of this happened mid-semester and no one would have blamed her for withdrawing from her classes. Instead, DeMarais leaned on her faith, worked with her instructors, and managed to finish the semester with an A and two Cs in her classes.
After that, DeMarais took a semester off to have brain surgery. Following her surgeries, a blood clot passed through her heart, and she almost died. Her doctor told her people usually don’t survive when that happens.
“When you experience things like that, it also motivates you. You know you have a purpose; you're supposed to be here for a reason," said DeMarais.
When the time was right, she resumed her classes and was pleasantly surprised to learn she qualified for the free college tuition through the North Star Promise.
“That was a nice break,” explained DeMarais. “I needed that. I was working part time and watching my school loan grow. North Star Promise helped reduce the loan burden.”
After brain surgery and two blood clots, DeMarais didn't give up; she persevered, and finished fall semester with free college tuition and solid grades. She's now set to graduate after spring semester.
"It's taking me a while to get my degree because I ran into Covid and then brain surgery," said DeMarais.
When asked what advice she’d give to non-traditional students returning to college or students who are new to online learning, DeMarais shared this:
“When life happens, adjust but don't give up. It's okay to take a break. I had to take a break with Covid and brain surgery, and I had to go back to work. Push yourself. Online learning has its challenges, but you just have to be organized. Ask questions. Once you get going, you'll be fine.”