Wisconsin 18-year-old Mia Carter is gearing up for her first year at Carthage College in Kenosha, but she won’t be going it alone. Her older sister Samantha Malczewski is starting her sophomore year there, and the two sisters have now learned that they’re going to be joined by their mom, Amy Malczewski and their grandmother, Christy Schwan, who are both enrolling in the school’s 10-month business design and innovation master’s degree program.
Samantha says she was surprised when she learned her mom and grandma would be joining her and her sister at the college. "They were like, 'Oh, we're going too,'" she recalls. Mia thinks the choice may stem from the passing of Amy's great-grandmother, reminding her of the importance of spending "quality time" with family.
Amy, who has worked at Carthage College for over two decades, says she's thrilled to see her mother pursue her academic aspirations. Christy, having had a fulfilling career as a small business owner and an accomplished author, believes that older students bring a lot of value and that age shouldn’t be a “deterrent in education."