B.A. in Social Sciences
Alumna, Class of 2010
In 1997, Maria Adler fell in love and left her native Sweden to get married and to live in New York. Ten years later, as a divorced mother of two, she decided she needed to earn a college degree to get ahead professionally, and to become more engaged in the education of her two school-aged sons. Pursuing a B.A. in Social Sciences through the Paul McGhee Division at NYU-SCPS helped her to better understand the culture of her American children and to feel like a part of that culture. It also made her a good homework coach for her sons. "Just seeing me be disciplined about academic work has made them disciplined about their work," Adler notes. "It’s been good for me as a role model." Her solid study habits and her excellent grades paid off in other ways as well—while in school, she was named a McGhee Scholar, an award that recognized her outstanding academic achievement and her service to others.
The road to graduation was not always easy. Adler, a fine artist and graphic designer, took a bookkeeping day job and attended classes during the evenings. But for the first time since coming to the United States, she felt part of a community of people who shared her enthusiasm for learning and her desire to improve her life by earning her degree. Next stop: graduate school.