Dorothy Hardigree, left, meets with Dr. Betty Molloy, president of GPC’s retiree association. Hardigree received the latest scholarship awarded by the association. Photo by Bill Roa.

Dorothy Hardigree found herself at a crossroads as a teacher of first-grade students. She loved the work, but the time spent on paperwork instead of with students saddened her. She yearned for more interaction to help them grow as learners.

After much soul searching, Hardigree decided to return to college in the fall of 2011 to pursue her nursing degree at Georgia Perimeter College. Hardigree has been rewarded for her efforts. She is the newest recipient of the GPC/DeKalb College Retiree Association Scholarship. She will receive $1,250 toward her tuition.

“I was so happy when I got the call that I had won the scholarship. I started screaming and jumping up and down; I was ecstatic,” Hardigree says. “I knew that I could not get financial aid because I already had two degrees. There is no way I could work full time and keep up with my studies, so I couldn’t stay in the program without this scholarship.”

Hardigree was chosen because of her enthusiasm to start a new career later in life, said Dr. Betty Molloy, former assistant vice president of academic affairs at GPC and president of the retiree association. “We admire her resilience and her courage to come back to school and tackle something as strenuous as nursing,” Molloy says. “She embodies what is best about GPC students, and we look forward to watching her grow as a health professional.”

Hardigree says she can’t wait to enter the workforce as a practicing nurse. “This is a second opportunity to help people,” she says. “I will be more marketable, and I can contribute to my community. The scholarship has made this all possible.”