As a mother, full-time employee and Linfield College student, Quinn Caspers is no stranger to multi-tasking and juggling the demands of her busy life.
Caspers, 32, is a business management major from McMinnville enrolled in the Division of Continuing Education (DCE). With a new baby at home, she is currently taking time off for maternity leave but will return to her studies this summer. She hopes to complete her degree in the fall of 2015.
Recently, Caspers answered some questions about her DCE experience.
Describe your family.
I’ve been married for almost 8 years. We have three boys, who are 7, 4 and 3 months old.
Where do you work?
I’m an assistant manager at the Gap Outlet in Lincoln City. I’ve been with Gap Inc. for 13 years.
Describe a typical day.
I work in Lincoln City so I have a pretty long commute and I have to bring along my books and homework. I try to study on breaks and during lunch. Because I work in retail, my schedule varies from day to day, but typically I leave the house for work around 6:30 a.m. and do not get home until 6:30 p.m. Then it is dinner time with the family and checking to see if my oldest son has any homework. At about 7:30 p.m., we start the bedtime routine. After that I study for a couple of hours. On my days off I get a lot more time to study, so I have a solid four to five hours to catch up with everything.
How do you balance the commitments of school, work and family?
I try to make time every day to study for at least an hour or two. That way I never feel too far behind. When I have a lot of things to accomplish, I prioritize and do the most important things first. I do feel like I’ve had to sacrifice time with my boys, but I know that in the end, they will understand why I’m doing this and I hope that they will realize the importance of education.
What has been your most intriguing class?
I really enjoyed History of the West. I felt apprehensive at first because the professor wanted us to live chat once a week, but it was actually a lot of fun. I truly benefited from the live discussions with my classmates.
What is your favorite thing about the Linfield DCE program?
I like the flexibility. Because my schedule is so inconsistent, I knew that I couldn’t commit to a traditional college program. The DCE program at Linfield has been convenient and easy to understand. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to reach professors and that the online classrooms would be confusing, but I was wrong. It has been easy to navigate the online classes and I’ve never had trouble contacting a professor. In fact, I’ve even been able to meet up with a professor in person.
What do you hope to do with your degree?
I am hoping to move up within the company I work for now. I want to get my own store and eventually become a district manager for Gap Inc.
About DCE
Linfield’s DCE (http://www.linfield.edu/dce.html) provides an opportunity to earn a degree or a certificate in an online setting that is accessible and convenient to a variety of students. The program offers bachelor’s degrees in accounting, business information systems, international business, management, marketing and RN to BSN nursing. Additionally, the college offers online certificates including post baccalaureate accounting, computer information systems, human resources management, marketing, health administration and global health. Minors are also available in environmental studies, health administration and global health.
