Student “Never Forgot Rockhurst” in Winding Path to Undergraduate Degree
A
t one point in her long career in telecommunications, Jo Ann Herron was stuck.
The Rockhurst University sophomore, 76, was working at AT&T as an engineer. But for some reason, she was struggling with circuit design. She found her answers, surprisingly, in philosophy courses at Rockhurst. “I could not think at the level I needed to be at,” she said. “I guess in those classes I was exercising that muscle that I don’t normally use in my brain, because after that, I was able to sit in engineering training and understand everything a lot better.” Herron’s work would move her from Kansas City to New Jersey and back again. She’s stayed busy, even in retirement — working at Kansas City’s Thomas Roque YMCA Head Start Center; serving as public relations chair for the Johnson County, Kansas, NAACP; and ministering to inmates in Cameron, Missouri. But, thanks to spotting the brochure at Thomas Roque YMCA for the KC Scholars adult learners program, she’s also found time to return to Rockhurst and continue to pursue her degree in theology and religious studies. This time, it’s not about learning the skills to excel in her job — it’s about being a lifelong learner. “I never forgot Rockhurst. I read the story of Ignatius of Loyola, and I love the Jesuit philosophy and the mission here,” she said. “Finding God in everything — that’s what I’ve tried to do my whole life.” Jo Ann Herron, sophomore
“I read the story of Ignatius of Loyola, and I love the Jesuit philosophy and the mission here. Finding God in everything — that’s what I’ve tried to do my whole life.” —Jo Ann Herron
HEARD ON CAMPUS “I do think a lot of success and great things that happen are a magical trifecta of timing and place and the actual market. Don’t ignore the magical points, constantly look for those opportunities.” 8
SUMMER 2018
Audrey Masoner, ’00, author of Mayor Sly and the Magic Bow Tie, speaking at February’s Meet the Makers event.