When Jess Foster \u201920 withdrew from Furman University in 2011 due to health reasons, she didn\u2019t know if she would ever return.<\/p>\n
During her recovery, she began freelance writing to earn some money and get some work experience. After a few years, she was hired by a web design agency in Australia, writing project proposals for potential clients. Over time, she began managing websites for the firm\u2019s clients.<\/p>\n
Foster also taught herself how to build websites and started her own web design business, Imagine Higher, four years ago. But her desire for a college degree never went away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t think I\u2019d go back to Furman. I was doing OK without a degree. But as time went on, I felt something was missing in my life, that something was left unfinished,\u201d Foster said. \u201cI missed college, going to classes, and doing all the work, which I found very fulfilling.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seven years after she left Furman, Foster re-enrolled. She will graduate with a degree in history in May.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo have a second chance to get a college degree, I\u2019m so grateful for that,\u201d said Foster.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m thankful for Furman allowing me to pick up where I left off. I feel like I realize more the value that Furman brings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Foster, a Greenville native, first attended Furman in 2009 after graduating from high school. She said she initially thought she would major in German before deciding on history. Looking back, Foster said she could have benefited from taking some time off from school after high school.<\/p>\n
\u201cI used to think you had to go to college right after high school because that\u2019s what they told you, that\u2019s what everybody did. I felt pressured to do that,\u201d Foster said. \u201cI don\u2019t regret going to Furman right away. But now that I\u2019m older, I feel like I\u2019m taking more advantage of the opportunities that are here.\u201d<\/p>\n
After she graduates in May, Foster plans to attend graduate school at Clemson University to earn a master\u2019s degree in history. She\u2019ll be a graduate assistant there.<\/p>\n
Eventually, she\u2019d like to earn her Ph.D. and work as a professor or a researcher.<\/p>\n
For the time being, Foster plans to keep her business going.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy business is paying the bills\u00a0right now,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Foster said that her degree in history meshes well with her experience in business. After all, she said, a history major teaches you how to articulate your ideas.<\/p>\n
\u201cHistory majors do a lot of writing. Being able to write well is a skill that applies to a lot of different jobs, including web design,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen I am writing a project proposal for a potential client, I need to communicate to them how I will help them meet their business goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the meantime, Foster\u2019s academic focus has been European history, with a particular emphasis on the Holocaust. She has worked as a student assistant in Furman\u2019s the Special Collections and Archives. During a Summer Research and Creative Fellowship with that department, she investigated the campaign strategies of Carroll A. Campbell Jr. and Max Heller during the 1978 congressional election. Her paper will be published in the Furman Humanities Review.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never thought I\u2019d be back here,\u201d she said of re-enrolling at Furman. \u201cBut I am so happy I am.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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