Marine Corp. veteran, wife, mother and social worker graduates

"What I really miss is the relationships I built with the faculty. They really do care about their students."

Jennifer Kisela met her husband, Christopher, in London in 1999 while they served in the Marine Corp. In 2003 when their son, Nicholas, was one and a half years-old, their family was worried that her husband would be called back to serve in the infantry.

"My in-laws were concerned that what if he gets called up," the Merrillville resident said. "We thought, 'Well, we'll just deal with it.'"

Wrong... Jennifer got the call!

She returned to active duty in North Carolina beginning in February 2003 during the military's Enduring Freedom Operation.

Now, she received a bachelor's degree in human development and family studies at Purdue University Calumet's Commencement Exercises, held recently at the Radisson Star Theatre in Merrillville.

To return to the service, she had to drop out school four weeks into the semester. While her husband worked and attended Purdue Calumet, their son spent time at four different family members' homes.

"It was stressful for them because they work, too, and confusing to my son," she said. "But he had a lot of family support and that really helped."

According to Kisela, one of her professors, Linda Mura, kept in contact with her via email while she was away for her eight-month stint and helped her enroll in fall classes.

"What I really miss is the relationships I built with the faculty," Kisela said. "They really do care about their students."

Additionally, she has landed a job in her field. Since May, she has served as a social services coordinator at Munster Med Inn, a long term care facility for the elderly.

"Munster Med Inn is highly supportive of education," she said, as she was allowed to work around her class schedule her final semester. "They have been 100 percent in support of me."

Kisela is responsible for making sure the facility's residents social and psychological needs are met, which includes assessing residents' cognition, monitoring their social health, providing individualized care planning and working with families to meet their needs. She cares for some 50 residents.

Kisela says she misses Purdue Calumet, but plans to pursue a master's degree in social work.

"The best thing at Purdue Calumet has truly been the faculty," she said. "They're so personable. They're real. Some have jobs outside of teaching, and they bring experience and real life knowledge to the classroom. It is not just lecturing and book stuff.

"They offered me, in particular, advice on and direction in schooling, jobs, even personal advice."

Also, Kisela, who is a recipient of the Purdue Calumet Chancellor's Scholarship, researched gender inequities in the media, specifically ESPN basketball, with Purdue Calumet Professor Ralph Cherry and three students.

She served an internship at St. Anthony's Hospital and worked at Tri-City Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center.