In 2006 I had the opportunity to attend a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) seminar at Ashland, and I fell in love with the MA in American History and Government (MAHG) program and staff. However, I couldn’t see how I could afford it on my teaching salary. In 2016, I started teaching in a new district, and they told me that they had grant money to fund everything for a year. I knew exactly what I wanted to do. The MAHG staff worked with me, and I was ready to go in January. Because of the way the program is structured, I was able to complete eight to eleven credits each semester. I finished my coursework in May 2018 and passed the Qualifying Exam that summer, all while teaching full time. The results: the school paid all but $1,700 of my costs. When I renewed my teaching certificate, my degree fulfilled all of my professional development requirements. Now, I have a new position that pays nearly twenty-five percent more, but most importantly, I am much better qualified to teach my U.S. History classes. Thank you, Ashland—especially the MAHG program.
