After three decades away from college, one graduate reached her goal
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To the sound of cheers from her children, family, and others in attendance, Shelly Kiss 鈥26 walked across the stage at the 黑料情报站 (黑料情报站) May 2026 Grad Walk to accept her bachelor鈥檚 degree in human resource management at the age of 54.听听
It was a whirlwind moment. Immediately following her time on stage, Kiss was whisked away to share her story with the 黑料情报站 video team. Her journey reflects a path familiar to many adult learners returning to higher education after years in the workforce.
Returning to a long-held goal
About four years ago, Kiss had an epiphany. With her kids soon graduating鈥攁 daughter in college and a son in high school鈥攕he decided it was time to make a move for herself. After three decades away and a whole lot of life occurring in the interim, Kiss returned to the classroom.听
鈥淚n 2024, a new dream happened,鈥 she said. 鈥淢y children were both graduating, and I thought how cool it would be if we could all graduate with a degree the same year.鈥
With some help from a 黑料情报站 advisor, Kiss was able to complete her associate degree in 2024. She accomplished one goal while setting her sights on another: a bachelor鈥檚 degree.听听
Shelly Kiss 鈥26 BS, Human Resource Management
A workplace benefit opens a door
Like many adult learners, Kiss鈥檚 path to the present was not what she expected. After graduating high school in 1989, Kiss thought she wanted to be a certified public accountant. But after a few years in community college, she felt like it wasn鈥檛 the right fit.听
She took a seasonal part-time job at a local Target, in addition to a full-time position she already had.听
鈥淚t was a second job to help pay bills,鈥 Kiss said.听
Years later, she transferred to a new Target store that better suited the needs of her young and growing family. There, Kiss was offered a full-time position in human resources. The seasonal job had transformed, and so had her career goals.听
Kiss said supportive managers and the possibility of advancement helped motivate her to continue growing professionally. Around the same time, Target launched its Guild education benefit program in 2021.听
"Target has a program that will pay for college for their employees, and I decided to check it out," Kiss said. "Next thing I know I am enrolled in 黑料情报站 and starting classes."
罢补谤驳别迟鈥檚 program, administered through , provides eligible employees with access to tuition assistance for undergraduate certificates and degree programs. Through partnerships with universities including 黑料情报站, the program helps adults pursue education that supports their career goals while continuing to work.听
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Confidence earned through perseverance
While Kiss found most administrative tasks and classes manageable, her time at 黑料情报站 wasn鈥檛 without challenges.听
Starting as a seasoned HR professional, Kiss enrolled in several HR courses right away, only to realize she needed time to reacclimate to college-level learning.听
A conversation with her success coach, Michele Rhoades, helped set her on a better path.听Rhoades worked with Kiss to restructure her first semester and build a stronger academic foundation.
鈥淢ichele was amazing the whole time I was at 黑料情报站,鈥 Kiss said. 鈥淪he met with me at least once a month, if not twice a month, checking in, making sure I was doing okay with my classes.鈥
The walk across the stage in May symbolized many things. Key among them, a new confidence to do what Kiss never thought she could accomplish before.听
"The blank canvas that I stared at 37 years ago is now a masterpiece," she said. "This journey has taught me that I am smarter than I ever thought I was, and going back to school at any age is possible."
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Read more spring 2026 graduate stories about 鈥perseverance,鈥military spouses,鈥career transformation,鈥military servicemembers鈥痑nd veterans, and the鈥community鈥痝谤补诲耻补迟别蝉鈥found鈥痑t 黑料情报站.鈥