Emily Bauman will accomplish a major goal this year after taking classes over the course of a few decades: she will walk the stage and earn an associate degree here at Schoolcraft College.
Emily Bauman wanted to spend her time at Schoolcraft College focusing on being a student. Going into classes being several decades older than many of her fellow students, Bauman did everything she could to fully emerge herself in academia. From participating in the STEAM@Schoolcraft conference to completing her Honors’ capstone program, she wanted to have the full experience.
“When I’m in school here, I’m feeling like I’m a kid, but I’m not,” she said. “And so, it’s balancing the feeling of ‘I’m learning, I’m just like you–we’re in this at the same time’ all the while knowing that when they look at me, they’re seeing their mom!”
Bauman grew up in upstate New York, where she graduated from high school. After living in several spots across the country, Bauman and her family found their home in metro Detroit. She had taken classes at several institutions but never completed her degree. After growing her and her husband’s family and having life happen, Bauman made the decision to jump into politics. She threw her name into local elections, eventually landing a seat on the Westland City Council, where she currently serves.
Given her current position, she decided on taking several political science classes at Schoolcraft, which also led her to the Schoolcraft Scholars Honors Program, as one of those political science classes was Honors-only.
While she was initially hesitant to join the Honor’s program, she decided to jump in and found it incredibly rewarding. Her capstone project is one she plans on continuing after her time at Schoolcraft college as she now sits on the newly-formed Westland Arts Foundation board. For their first project, they plan to install eagle sculptures all throughout Westland to help raise awareness of the arts in the western Wayne County community.
After finding out from an advisor that several of the courses she took at other colleges wouldn’t transfer, Bauman made sure she took classes that could travel with her when pursuing a bachelor’s degree. “I wanted to take classes that had a focus, meaning that all the classes I took are transferable. Every single one of them was on the Michigan Transfer Agreement, every single one,” she said. “So, I know that I can transfer out, transfer into another school and they will accept them all.”
Bauman said she’s proud of her accomplishments while at Schoolcraft and embraced being a student. While she’s unsure of her exact next steps, she’s thinking about potentially enrolling at Wayne State University to earn a bachelor’s degree to aid her in the political world.
Despite the age gap between her and her fellow classmates, she said she never let it get in the way of learning and growing. It’s a piece of advice she’d give to anyone looking to go back to school.
While she would encourage getting a higher education degree or certificate before the big responsibilities of life set in, she adds, “my biggest thing for anybody is: don’t let age stop you no matter what age you are. If you are really wanting to accomplish a goal, go for it. Don’t let age or someone else telling you don’t have the experience or perhaps you don’t need it, stop you,” she said. Pave your own path forward. Set that goal and persevere!”