Brenna Marie Bagwell-Boehm was named as the Non-Trad of the Month for February. She was nominated by her husband, SSgt. Christopher Boehm of the United States Marine Corps, who said, “My wife, Brenna, is amazing. In addition to being a great wife, she is a terrific student. When she was admitted to UNCW in the fall of 2005, she held a sophomore standing. Now, a mere five semesters later, she will graduate in May with her bachelor's degree in business with a concentration in accounting.” This is quite the accomplishment considering, “She has done all of this while managing our household, working almost full time as an Office Manager/Property Manager at Strader Realty, earning her real estate broker's license, having a husband deployed and a daily three hour commute from our home in North Jacksonville,” he also said.
Brenna is obviously busy, admitting she has “more than a full-time schedule.” In addition to work and her regular studies, she’s also studying for the GMAT. “I am stressing and balancing and have really come into my own as an adult learner,” she said. The 28-year-old non-trad maintains a 3.6 GPA while attending to all of her outside responsibilities. She even received a scholarship from the Cape Fear Chapter of the NCACPA (the North Carolina Association of Professional Accountants) this spring for outstanding performance in her accounting classes. She is also proud to be the first college graduate in her family, with an anticipated graduation date in May of 2007. After graduation, she plans to spend the summer learning how to be a mom to her daughter. The first-time mom said she and her husband will welcome their first child, Emma Rylee, through an open adoption in April. Brenna also said she’ll spend her summer supporting her husband as he prepares for yet another deployment, and she will begin the MSA program in the fall. Somehow Brenna finds time to be actively involved with the military community in Jacksonville. She volunteers as a financial services representative for Camp Lejeune marines and sailors. On top of that, she serves as a “key volunteer” for the spouses of Fox 2/10, her husband’s unit. Brenna acknowledges that she’s had a few helping hands along the way in achieving scholastic and personal success. She says she would like to thank Dr. Susan Ivancevich, in the accounting department of the Cameron School of Business. “She is always there to lend a helping hand and great words of advice. She has encouraged me all the way and truly made me believe I could do it,” said Brenna. Likewise, Brenna doesn’t hesitate to encourage her fellow non-traditional students: “Just stick with it! Sometimes the road is hard and arduous, but the payoff for us (and our families) is well worth it!” These are words spoken like a true non-trad who clearly knows the value of hard work and a thing or two about perseverance. ------------------------------------------------ The Seahawk Perch congratulates Brenna Marie Bagwell-Boehm as our February 2007 Non-Trad of the Month. If you would like to learn how to nominate yourself or someone you know for this award, CLICK HERE.
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