2 weeks Ago
Monroe County natives, Victoria and Eric Fry will graduate in December from the Advance Business program at Cleveland State Community College. The couple has been married 30 years and started the program together after their children were grown. They both qualified for the Tennessee Reconnect scholarship at Cleveland State.
TN Reconnect is a last dollar scholarship that covers most of the tuition and fees for adults who are 23 years and older who have not already completed an associate or bachelor’s degree. “TN Reconnect really has had an impact on both of us going back to school at the same time, because we have not had to worry about the added financial burden,” Victoria said. “I’m not sure that we both would have done it.
It was a game changer for us.” The couple both work at automotive supplier DENSO in Athens. Victoria, an advanced accounting associate, has been at the company for 12 years, and Eric, a production maintenance team leader, has been at DENSO for more than 25 years.
With a goal of becoming a specialist at DENSO, Victoria decided it was time to go back to college. She had started college two other times, but she had never completed a degree. After their children were grown, Victoria knew it was time to get her degree and expand her opportunities for promotions.
“I was scared, but my first class was a good experience,” Victoria said. “I can’t thank all the professors and Candice [Patterson] enough for being approachable and understanding that we have lives outside of school. The more that I’ve gone to school the more that I am determined to finish.
I want to check that box off and get that degree.” Eric went to Cleveland State after high school and was even on the cheerleading squad. He started college four different times at different colleges, but didn’t finish his degree.
“I knew co-workers who went through the TN Reconnect program,” Eric said. “Listening to Victoria talk about going and finishing her degree really inspired me to do the same. I thought, what better time if we went through it together and supported each other.
” The advance business program allowed Victoria and Eric the flexibility to continue working while earning their degree. The accelerated program is completed in 18 months with most of the classes taken online. The couple even celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary with a trip to Niagara Falls and attended their online class together.
“Eric and Victoria are amazing,” Candice Patterson, director of the advance business program, said. “After the first time we met; we had a manageable plan for them to finish their degrees within a few semesters. They are both so hard working and engaged in the virtual classroom bringing their experiences and work ethic into the weekly session discussions.
” Eric said, "I’ve enjoyed having one class at a time. Working and doing everything we have to do, that makes it easier." “When we first started talking about going back to school, I thought now that we are so much more mature and wiser, we will just breeze through it.
No, we still have to work at it. It takes time, but it is time well spent.” Victoria said, “We did not do it in the right order by any means.
" “I didn’t want to tell anyone, but now I’m doing it and putting in the work," she said. "We’ve struggled a few nights, but then we feel so accomplished when we finish that exam or assignment and get the grade back.” After graduation in December, Victoria plans to pursue her four-year degree; she has already been accepted to two universities.
Eric will hold off on his bachelor’s degree for now. “I can see that it has helped me in my job currently in several different areas,” Victoria said. “The way that I communicate, the way that I see my managers or chain of command, why they respond the way that they do.
It has changed us for the better.” The couple now live in Meigs County. They have one son and two daughters who all work together in real estate and a daughter-in-law who works in healthcare.
For more information on the Advance Business program, visit or email ..
