The Care Plan helps people navigate healthcare systems not set up for LGBTQ+ or racially diverse caregivers. After her wife was diagnosed with stage IV cancer in 2011, Marsha Wetzel spent the next two years taking care of Judy, her partner of 30 years, until Judy entered hospice care. Within weeks of Judy’s death, her […]
While degrees add a level of formality to studies, not all students have the time or desire to pursue a degree in their later years. Some want to experience a variety of classes at their leisure. Huntley resident Patricia Sukel, 77, took organ lessons from age 11 to 17. Four decades later, she started lessons […]Read More
Alternative housing ideas can save money and stave off loneliness The U.S. is facing a housing crisis. For older adults specifically, the crisis includes factors beyond their control — lack of affordable housing and increased cost of living — as well as personal concerns — having little or no retirement savings, experiencing loneliness and isolation, and […]Read More
A look at green end-of-life options available in Illinois Nothing is certain except death and taxes, Benjamin Franklin wrote in 1789. In 2022, what also feels certain for many Americans is our collective demise, as forests burn, waters rise in some places and disappear in others, and soils deplete. As people’s environmental awareness increases, […]Read More
Redefining what it means to be a college senior Whether they’re changing careers, re-routing after detours, or envisioning a brighter future for their communities, the people in these pages — all over age 60 — don’t conform to traditional ideas about college or aging. Roughly 16 million undergraduates enrolled in schools nationwide in 2020. Of […]Read More
Czenzi Jones Degree: Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Learning School: University of Illinois at Chicago Graduation: June 2023 For Czenzi Jones, graduation has gone from distant goal to impending reality. The mother of eight, grandmother of 27, and great-grandmother of six initially went straight into college after high school. But she had […]Read More
Bo Shi Degree: Master of Science in Clinical Investigation School: Northwestern University Graduated: September 2022 Bo Shi, PhD, is no stranger to academic institutions. While working at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine as a research faculty member, Shi also enrolled as a student. He has spent the past five years slowly but surely working […]Read More
Tamara Davis Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Applied Studies School: Loyola University Anticipated Graduation: December 2022 After seven layoffs in 20 years, Tamara Davis wanted to pivot. She had been working for commercial and residential architecture firms, but the industry was volatile. “You hear college is hard, but having regrets is harder,” she says. Davis started […]Read More
Edward McClory Degree: Bachelor of Arts, Sociology concentration School: St. Xavier University Graduation: May 2022 The past few years have taught Edward McClory a lot — and not just because he was in school. In 2016, McClory was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer. The marine veteran found out two years later that he […]Read More
Cheryl Boyle Degree: Doctor of Education (EdD) School: Lewis University Anticipated Graduation: December 2023 Throughout her life, Cheryl Boyle’s work has always come back to education, despite not starting out in the field. As a nurse, she worked in many clinical settings butserved as a nurse educator, too. When she homeschooled her children, teaching became […]Read More