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Mother, daughter to graduate with honors from EOU's Residential Business Administration program

By Laura Hancock | University Advancement | lhancock@eou.edu

Mt. Hood Community College photo / Mary Fox
Jeannie Goyne, left, and her daughter Carrie
Goyne will receive their diplomas from EOU at
the Commencement ceremony in La Grande
on June 17.

Wednesday, June 7, 2006
LA GRANDE – When Jeannie or Carrie Goyne are seen walking alone through the hallways of Mt. Hood Community College, the question is always, “Where’s your sidekick?”

The pair does everything together, short of finishing each other’s sentences. Although there is a 24-year difference between them, Jeannie, 54, and Carrie, 30, are not separated by their age. On Saturday, June 17, they will both graduate with honors from Eastern Oregon University's College of Business.

In the fall of 2003, the mother and daughter duo enrolled as freshman at the EOU Mt. Hood Metro Center in Gresham and entered the Residential Business Administration program. The decision to return to school as non-traditional students came when Jeannie and her husband moved to North Bonneville, Wash., and she was forced to leave her long-time position as a state certified driver trainer with the Public School Transportation Department.

Not willing to settle for a minimum wage job, Jeannie made a phone call to her daughter Carrie and asked her if she would like to move back home. They could finish their college education together, she said.

Carrie was living in Hillsboro at the time, working a high-stress job as a technician in the dialysis unit at the hospital there.

“I made great money, but I was topped out in my position,” Carrie said. “There was no happy ending – and it was that way for seven years.”

 

                                                                                                                     Submitted photos
Jeannie and Carrie spent long hours studying and even doubled up on coursework in the
evenings and on weekends to complete their degrees in business administration.

Carrie decided to accept her mother’s offer and she moved back home. It was the best decision, she said, because she would be free to re-focus her goals and concentrate on completing her degree without such a financial strain.

And concentrate she did, and so did her mother, each completing the maximum number of credit hours possible every term and coming out with nearly all “A’s.” Last term Carrie completed 32 credits and she humbly admits that she did get one “B.”

“It’s been quite the ride!” Carrie said.

Each were interested in business administration, so Jeannie and Carrie signed up to take the same core classes – thus the “sidekick” association, as they were always seen together going from one class to another.

Jeannie and Carrie enrolled in EOU’s business courses offered at Mt. Hood Community College. They were encouraged to find that all of the classes necessary to complete their degrees were available right at home, either live or through EOU's Division of Distance Education. It was a relief, they said, that they would not need to make the much longer commute to Portland State University.

“If we finish our four years right here, we won’t have to fight the traffic!” Jeannie said.

The distance education courses gave them the flexibility to be able to complete more coursework in a shorter period of time, doubling up and working from home on weekends. When Jeannie and Carrie walked into Bob Costi’s office, their EOU advisor at Mt. Hood, they heard just the words that they had been waiting to hear: “You’re on your way!”

"Jeannie and Carrie have trekked through ice, snow and rain to get here, and as returning adult learners looking to expand and enhance their skills, it shows their determination and dedication in their own lives and to the program," Costi said.

"They are really wonderful people."

Now, just a few days away from commencement, the Goynes are busy job-hunting.

Jeannie will receive her degree in business administration with a concentration in leadership, organization and management. Carrie’s degree will also be in business administration with a focus in accounting, an accomplishment she completed in three years instead of four. They will also both be inducted into the Pinnacle Honor Society and the Cornerstone Program and will join the more than 40 students in the Portland metro area alone who will graduate this year from EOU's Residential Business Administration program.

Jeannie is hopeful that her past experiences – she once owned a business, and the years spent working for school district – combined with her education, will land her a job in management. She has already applied for a job in human resources with an airline company.

“I honestly don’t know where this is going to lead me,” she said.

Mt. Hood Community College photo / Mary Fox
The Goynes are ready to move ahead with their
careers and are currently seeking employment
in management and accounting positions.

After debating signing up to become a professional investigative accounting agent for the FBI, Carrie’s goal now is to break into the field of forensic accounting. She hopes to work as an auditor for a large company.

 

"She’s going to catch Enron people,” said mom Jeannie. 

 

Each admits that furthering their education has been a challenge, but as students they rely on one another and their family as a constant source of support.

“We just have so much fun!” Jeannie said. “My husband says ‘Go! Go! Go!’”

“I couldn’t have done it without him.”

On June 17 when they walk down the field at Community Stadium, clad in cap and gown, Carrie will be reliving a special memory while creating a new one.

“My dad graduated from college the same day I graduated from high school,” she said. “This is pretty exciting.”

“We’re ready!”

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