Grandmother & Granddaughter Go to College Together
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - For Daisy Goodwin and Casi Heeren, attending Kirkwood Community College has special meaning. Not only are they working towards their college degrees, they are sharing the experience with each other and representing two generations of their family.
Daisy, 70, and Casi, 22, share the bond of grandmother and granddaughter, and have extended that relationship to the college classroom.
"We don't travel together but we meet at school before going into class together," said Daisy. "We do study together on occasion. Casi helps me with the computers and we use my printer for class."
When asked what it's like to share her college experience with her grandmother, Casi said "It's very interesting and fun."
"I like having my grandma in school. She motivated me to go back," continued Casi. "She wanted me to go back to school to further my education becasue she was going before me. I figured if everyone else is going to school, even my grandma, maybe I should too."
Casi is currently studying to be an office assisant. For Daisy, this is her third round at Kirkwood, having attended in 1983 and again in 1987. "I studied Liberal Arts back then," said Daisy. "And now I'm learning more about computers and keeping my mind active."
For many would-be students, the financial aid process becomes a road block, and can end up detering many student from enrolling and completeing their education. Both Daisy and Casi sought assistance from ICAN for thier financial aid paperwork. "Kirkwood told us about ICAN," explained Daisy and Casi together. "ICAN showed us how to fill out our financial aid applications and answered all of our questions in regards to school"