Carolyn LaMountain ‘78M was a seasoned high school teacher in her early 40s when the State of New Jersey required additional coursework for her to continue teaching psychology at Atlantic City High School. Carolyn knew exactly where she wanted to pursue graduate studies. “I had wanted to attend Beaver College for my undergraduate degree decades earlier,” Carolyn recalls. “When I applied for graduate study, Beaver College offered me a teaching assistantship in the Department of Psychology to offset tuition. I knew then that I was always meant to be at Beaver College.”
Taking a one-year sabbatical from high school teaching, she began her studies at Beaver as what she calls “an older, unconventional student.” Nonetheless, her time at Beaver didn’t disappoint. “Not only were the faculty at Beaver very engaging, so were my classmates,” Carolyn said. “I had to take some undergraduate classes for the program, and I was much older than most of my classmates. Yet, they treated me as an equal. One undergraduate student even asked me to be her research partner.”
Retired after a 30+ year career teaching at Atlantic City High School, Carolyn is impressed by Arcadia’s growth, both in academics and in the diversity of the student body. This prompted her to establish a planned gift at Arcadia, which welcomes her to the University’s Covenant Society. However, she doesn’t feel like it is a gift at all. “I received a great education at Beaver because they offered me financial aid. I was raised that if you receive then you should give. In my mind, I owe it to the next generation.”