Debra Sund
Individualized Program: Holistic Early Childhood Education
B.A. Liberal Studies, 2008
 If you ask Debra Sund for thoughts on making Antioch affordable, she'll tell you to look into options for financial aid.
"I also recommend asking about awards from smaller organizations in the community. While they may not pay your entire tuition, they may help with books or partial tuition," she says.
Sund, who completed her bachelor's degree in holistic early childhood education at Antioch, received a 2007 Women's Opportunity Award from the South Seattle Soroptimist Club.
Soroptimist International, a women's service organization for executive and professional businesswomen, last year distributed more than $1.1 million to women around the world who "All my time spent at Antioch has been a positive progression. One class has led into another and has moved me ever forward."were primary wage earners for their families. The awards are designed to improve women's economic status by gaining additional skills, training and education.
Sund is a single parent of a son with special needs. She has been a preschool family educator for the Seattle Public Schools Head Start program for more than a decade.
Her educational journey began when she started to assist at her son's school. He wouldn't attend without her, so she went along. Soon, teachers gave her work to do. She rapidly progressed from volunteer to paid hourly employee.
Sund's goal is a master's degree or teacher certification once she completes her B.A. She says she chose Antioch because it was a place where she could bring together her prior experience and education and design a B.A. program that would fit her needs. She was able to earn 10 prior learning credits for experiences she had before she joined Head Start.
"These credits assist in moving the degree process forward, but they also validate life experiences that often go uncelebrated. For students with financial issues, they are also a cost-effective way to reach a credit goal. This is a positive way to help students on their way," she notes.
There are plenty of other reasons why Sund would recommend Antioch to prospective students.
"I have to say I have appreciated the freedom at Antioch and the smaller class size. Antioch has a supportive and comfortable atmosphere for an adult learner.
"All my time spent at Antioch has been a positive progression. One class has led into another and has moved me ever forward. I have had the freedom to try cross-program offerings that have changed my ultimate goal for education," she says.
Her B.A. meets future federal requirements for those employed in the Head Start program. The value of her Antioch studies runs deeper than that, though.
"I have gained a voice and new confidence in my personal abilities," Sund says. "This, in turn, has contributed to an improvement in the services I provide to the children and their families in my Head Start classroom."
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