Meet Current Reconnectors
Yvonne Lipes
MAJOR: Education Studies
At 44, Yvonne Lipes decided to follow her longtime dream of becoming a teacher. After nearly 27 years in the high-end textile industry, she enrolled at Kingsborough Community College to pursue a degree in education.
Although she once attended Hunter College right after high school, Lipes had to step away when times were tough at home. With support from her husband and two children, she decided it was time to return to school. “Family has always been a big part of my life. I looked to my biggest motivators and greatest joys, my two children. With their blessing, I decided it was my time to go back to school and become an educator. Becoming a parent helped me realize that is where I’m meant to be.”
The new CUNY Reconnect program, a New York State initiative offering free tuition, fees, books, and supplies for eligible New Yorkers aged 25-55 without a college degree to pursue associate degrees in high-demand fields at CUNY—and SUNY—community colleges, made her decision easier. “For the last couple of years, I had an aspiration to return to school, but I wasn’t sure if I had missed my window or if I could juggle being a mom and a student,” she said. “Fortunately, free college was my opportunity.”
The Marine Park resident is majoring in education studies with a concentration in childhood education for grades 1-6. But her return to school was not without hesitation. “The biggest challenge I faced was my age,” she said. “I realized I would possibly be one of the oldest people in the room and that the majority would be only a year older than my daughter, who is 17.”
She was surprised to find many other parents and older students at Kingsborough. "That there are more people like me doing college life makes me feel younger," she said.
Four weeks into the semester, she finds she’s thoroughly enjoying the experience. Making up for lost time, she is taking five courses this fall and has already registered for two winter classes—and she’s challenging herself to maintain a high GPA throughout.
Her plan is to continue her education at Brooklyn College after graduating from Kingsborough, then become a teacher.
Lipes said her favorite poem, Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” captures how she feels about her path: sometimes the road less traveled is the one you were meant to be on.