Shannon returned to education at 49, earned her GED, and opened the door to work where she now supports and advocates for families in her community.
“There is not an end date on opportunities to learn and achieve our goals.”
— Shannon
Shannon Bolinger had more than one reason for going back to school.
She wanted better employment opportunities. She wanted to finish an education she felt she had left incomplete years earlier. And she wanted her children and grandchildren to see something important in her decision to return.
Education still mattered.
So did finishing what she had started.
At 49, Shannon began working toward her GED.
For her, it was part of what she describes as a larger journey of addressing patterns in her family and creating something different for the generations coming after her.
She wanted her family to see that learning and achievement didn't come with an expiration date.
Going back to school later in life came with challenges Shannon expected—and some that she hadn't encountered in years.
She was the oldest student in her class. The amount of time that had passed since high school meant returning to subjects she hadn't studied for a long time.
There were generational differences in the classroom, too, including different ways of learning.
But Shannon stayed with it.
Earning her GED eventually came to represent three things to her:
“Perseverance, dedication and accomplishment.”
— Shannon
There was another meaning behind the credential as well.
Shannon saw finishing her education as an opportunity to make peace with something she had long wished she'd done differently.
She described it as having “made right what I felt was an opportunity I had wasted in my youth.”
This time, she finished.
And the next opportunity came quickly.
From Education to Advocacy
After earning her GED, Shannon found stable employment with an organization that already held personal meaning for her: Greenleaf Family Center.
Today, she works as a PEERS Parent Advocate.
Her days put her directly in the community with families who may need someone to listen, help them navigate resources, advocate alongside them, or simply remind them that they have support.
For Shannon, it is much more than a job.
“Being an advocate is my passion, and I’m so proud of the work I do every day and what it means to the families in our community.”
— Shannon
She describes the work as providing support, empowerment, education, and advocacy to families every day.
Her philosophy is straightforward:
“Creating change one connection at a time.”
Of everything that has happened since earning her GED, becoming a Parent Advocate is the accomplishment Shannon says she is most proud of.
The education she returned to complete for herself and her family helped open the door to work that now allows her to serve other families throughout the community.
No End Date
Looking back, Shannon remembers feeling supported and encouraged while working toward her GED.
“I always felt supported, encouraged and believed in,” she said of her Project Learn team. “That stays with me always.”
Looking back, Shannon remembers feeling supported and encouraged while working toward her GED.
Now she offers that same belief to adults who may be considering returning to school themselves.
Her message is especially meaningful coming from someone who walked back into a classroom at 49 and had to adjust to learning again after years away.
“It is never too late!”
— Shannon
For Shannon, returning to education wasn't about trying to recreate an opportunity she had at 18.
It was about recognizing the opportunities still available to her at 49—and showing the generations after her that they can continue learning, too.
As she puts it:
“There is not an end date on opportunities to learn and achieve our goals.”
— Shannon
