I wanted to progress not only with my education but also my career. The bigger factor was that I was going to lead by example for my children. Why would I expect them to do it if I couldn't do it myself?
When Weston Smith, '18, crossed the Bridgewater State University commencement stage, he celebrated an academic milestone that was as much about his two young children as it was about himself.
Smith's path to a bachelor's degree spanned two decades and three attempts before culminating in a BSU degree in strategic communications.
"I wanted to progress not only with my education but also my career," he said. "The bigger factor was that I was going to lead by example for my children. Why would I expect them to do it if I couldn't do it myself?”
After graduating magna cum laude from BSU, Smith went on to earn an MBA. Now, he is beginning a doctorate program at the University of North Carolina. It's quite a transformation for someone who withdrew from his first attempt at college after just three semesters.
"I was undisciplined, unfocused and didn't have much of a purpose," he said of his late teenage years.
Smith joined the military, serving 29 years in public affairs and military intelligence with the Massachusetts Air National Guard, including time as a senior operations and program leader. He first enrolled at Bridgewater State in 2006, but his military travel and commitments interrupted his education.
A decade later, Smith had started a family and was working more consistently on Cape Cod. The timing was perfect because BSU had begun offering degrees on the Cape in the very same Yarmouth building where Smith had attended elementary school.
"It was the right time, the right place and the right people," he said. "It all just aligned. I saw an opportunity to go back."
Smith found welcoming professors and staff, including Dr. Bjorn Ingvoldstad, a communication professor who wrote recommendation letters for him. He appreciated the variety of classes, such as Strategic Writing, Introduction to Folklore, Foundations of Media and the physics course Exploring the Universe.
“It was a small, intimate campus,” he said, noting that the experience changed his outlook on education. “Everyone there was very supportive and encouraging.”
Smith, who is married to a German national, lives in Germany with his family. He's enrolled in an online doctoral program that focuses on organizational learning and leadership. He hopes to use all of his education and experience to become a teacher or consultant focused on developing future leaders.
"It really bolstered my confidence," he said of the impact of BSU. "If I didn't have that experience with BSU, I probably would have just stopped."
Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu.