It started out innocently enough. During one of my weekly chats with JMV- I’m usually on at 4PM on Mondays, by the way- John referenced me as “IU graduate Jake Query.”
“JMV”, I said, “I’m a product of Indiana University, but not a graduate. I attended, but never graduated.” Yep. that’s me. Jake Query. College dropout.
I never shied from that fact, never embraced it either. It was part of my journey, I guess. A long circuitous journey of blessings, fortune (albeit not of the monetary variation) and opportunities. I’ve tried to make the best of them.
Now comes perhaps the best opportunity of all. I’m Jake Query. College student.
Shortly after my confession to JMV, I was contacted by the Indiana Department of Higher Education. Indiana, you see, has a number of adults who left a college degree on the table. Left those credits sittin’ on a shelf, collectin’ dust for a semester, a year, a decade.
They don’t expire.
Sure. I too, assumed they do.
(Granted, years ago I also believed “if your roommate passes away during the semester, you got a 4.0 “.
“I’ll miss Marcus Turner”, I recall while absorbing that urban legend, “But a 4.0?…”)…
Anyways- I digress.
At any rate, there are a million reasons people left that goal on the shelf. Money. Kids. Heartache. Life.
For me, it was part arrogance, part immaturity and a little bit of professional drive. I saw an opening in my field of dreams, and I went for it.
I’ve been so lucky in my career. Others still need that degree to get where they want to be. They just need to know it’s possible. They just need to know that opening never permanently closed.
So, that’s where I come in.
Jake Query. Radio host. Indy 500 announcer. Indiana University online student. The guy the state of Indiana hopes can show everyone can still get it done.
I mean, if I can do this- why can’t anyone?
There are flexible class schedules, financial grants and accessible road maps. I plan on discussing all those resources while transparently chronicling my journey. I’m excited. I’m a little scared, but excited. I feel a litttle like Brooks when he first got out of Shawshank, and a little like Redd on his way to Fort Hancock, Texas.
I’ll share more as I go along. In the meantime, I’ve got to dive into my first syllabus.
Jour300- Introduction to Broadcast Media.
-Jake Q.
