NORWICH – According to 49-year-old Bainbridge resident Anne McCaleb, earning a college degree was a life-changing experience, one which provided her the opportunity to prove something to herself and inspire her family along the way.

“I found myself at the end of a rocky marriage, a divorce, and there was nothing in the bank,” said McCaleb, who was working as a principal’s secretary at the time. “I decided that it was time to change my life.”

Prior to graduating summa cum-laude from Kaplan University in July of 2009, with an online bachelor’s degree in management, McCaleb landed the finance coordinator position with Hospice of Chenango, and stated that she “didn’t quite expect to get this kind of position that quickly.”

“I got the job based on the fact that I was getting a degree,” said McCaleb. “The position required a bachelor’s, and the executive director was impressed that I was maintaining honor grades, going to school full-time and maintaining a full-time job.”