Class of 2008 Hometown: Findlay, Ohio
Patty and Suzanne Lucas share more than just a last name. They are mother and daughter, fellow residents of Findlay, and, this May, they will be fellow graduates of The University of Findlay.
On May 3, Patty will graduate with her master of business administration degree, while Suzanne will receive her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice administration. And both feel confident they made the right choice by attending UF.
“I looked at a couple of schools in Virginia, but I ended up picking Findlay,” said Suzanne. “It’s a better fit, and the campus felt like home.”
And although the Lucases hail from Findlay originally, Suzanne’s parents wanted her to get a genuine college experience.
“We wanted her to feel like she was far away, even though she wasn’t,” said Patty.
And Suzanne dove right in, getting involved in such organizations as the Forensic Science and Criminal Justice Club and the Alpha Phi Sigma criminal justice honor society. These activities led Suzanne to realize the importance of being involved.
“It sounds cliché to say ‘get involved on campus,’” she said. “But you get to work on different levels with your professors and meet more people.”
Of these professors, Suzanne cites Donna Smith, director of the Academic Support Center and assistant professor of psychology, as one of the most influential. She says Smith really helped her with difficult classes and aided her in other areas as well.
And thanks to her professors, what she’s learned being involved on campus, and a legal internship in Hancock County, Suzanne feels she’s ready to take on the professional world.
“I’m ready to start my career,” she said. “I really got my name out there [in my internship].”
While she does not have a definite job lined up for after graduation, Suzanne says her internship helped her to know where she would like to be.
“I would love to work with kids,” she said. “After my internship, my motto is, ‘If I can help one kid, I’ve done my job.’”
Patty, who is currently the vice president of commercial banking at First Federal in Findlay, also has enjoyed her time as a graduate student at UF. She was looking for a means of personal growth, she says, and found it here.
While working toward her master’s, Patty volunteered as an adviser for SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise) and also assisted in the establishment of the Habitat for Humanity chapter that is still active on campus today.
But her education was her focus, and she enjoyed it greatly.
“I wanted to increase my learning and be on campus,” she said. “I got out of it what I wanted. The curriculum was tailored to me, and I loved it.”
She does have a word of warning for students considering a master’s degree, though.
“I didn’t really have the peers I expected,” she said. “I think work experience would be beneficial before enrolling in a master’s program.”
Patty says she has learned a great deal from her professors at UF, citing Ahmed El-Zayaty, Ph.D., and Shiv Gupta, D.B.A., as especially influential to her learning.
“I really enjoyed getting to know my professors. I know I have a resource and a network I feel completely comfortable going back to,” she said. “I know now that it’s not so much that I have a master’s, it’s what I do with it.”
And as both a soon-to-be graduate of UF and a resident of Findlay, Patty can only sing the praises of the University.
“We’re fortunate to have the University in the community and to have the caliber of professors we have,” she said.
By Paige Aten ’08, communication major, Napoleon, Ohio
