Young-wha Coulter
Individualized Program: Social Justice and the Arts
B.A. Liberal Studies, 2007
 The first reason Young-wha Coulter chose Antioch to complete her bachelor's degree is an honest one: "I liked the fact that we didn't have to take tests, nor did we get grades. I have high anxiety when it comes to test taking and I was always embarrassed about my GPA, even though it was average."
There were plenty of other reasons as well. "Once I really began researching about Antioch," Coulter says, "I learned the teaching philosophy was very close to mine. An individualized liberal arts education seemed to be too good to be true. I fell instantly in love with the B.A. completion program because of the support and understanding this program has to offer."
"If you want a program that truly looks at you as a person, knows your name, talks with you, instead of at you, values your opinion, and you get to have an individual program that fits your needs, then the money you put into Antioch is worth it."
Now, when she recommends Antioch to others, Coulter tells them: "First, Antioch is the best education I ever had. Second, it's a lot of hard work, but it's worth it in the end. Antioch will give you a wonderful education, but also will support, show and guide you to see your inner strength as an individual."
She says there have been many faculty members who have helped her along the way.
"Each of them have cheered me on in their own way. Mary Lou Finley, my adviser, was patient and guided me with gentle pushes here and there throughout my whole process. Randy Morris, in his loving way, has taught me to look deep into myself and supported me during my growth at Antioch. He is an absolutely wonderful teacher. However, if you do take classes from him, be prepared to do deep reflection on yourself. It's extremely hard work, but Randy doesn't push you unless you want to be pushed. The B.A. completion program truly is a growing process and the whole faculty supports you in your growth," Coulter says.
In her second quarter, she took a class called Diversity, Power and Privilege, also known as Liberal Arts II. "This class, taught by Wanda Hackett, was a life-changing experience for me. This was the foundation of my experience here at Antioch. It taught me to take my blinders off and see the internalized racism I had toward my Asian community.
"I was adopted as a young child from Korea to a white American family. I hadn't realized how much I pushed my Korean heritage away and how much internalized racism I had toward other Asians until this class when I read A Different Mirror by Ronald Takaki and Privilege, Power and Difference by Allan Johnson. These two books opened up a whole new world for me, and I saw the injustice that myself and society was/is doing. Even though it has been hard at times, I can't ever go back, nor do I ever want to. I know that I am a change agent and I will do everything to help society open its eyes, take off those blinders and see what we are doing to ourselves."
Getting credit for life experience was validating for Coulter, who had been a para-educator working with elementary special education children in the Highline School District. She's also a mother and a wife and caretaker to her disabled husband.
"There is something to be said about putting your life experience on paper," she describes. "It gave me value on everything I learned prior to Antioch. I didn't even know I had that much learning experience, until I wrote it down and really looked at my life experience. Before this process, I would just blow off my prior life experience. This process put value to it. It gave my prior life meaning."
Don't ask her to put a value on her Antioch education. "I'd do it all over again," she says. "If you want a program that truly looks at you as a person, knows your name, talks with you, instead of at you, values your opinion, and you get to have an individual program that fits your needs, then the money you put into Antioch is worth it."
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