This year, we honor and recognize Emily LaRose, administrative assistant for the Communications Division and nontraditional student at Crowder College. The Quill contest could not happen without the administrative support Emma provided. She went above and beyond, reaching out to a wider area of  schools to invite them to participate in the contest, devised a more efficient process for creating award certificates, and spent countless hours sorting entries into the appropriate contest divisions. As Emma prepares to graduate Crowder with honors in May and transfer to Pittsburg State University in Kansas, she counts her contribution to the Quill as one of the highlights of her working experience at Crowder.

Emma’s 24-year educational journey is fraught with overcoming personal tragedy, physical limitations, and disruptions in her academic progress. Read Emma’s story of perseverance and dedication for family in her own words below:

I am married and have five children, one of whom is a forever 18 angel. In 2015, I started taking classes at Crowder College, which had a satellite campus in Mount Vernon. At that time, my goal was to complete my ASN and become a Registered Nurse since I had previously become an LPN in 2007. 

However, Crowder College eventually left Mount Vernon, so I returned to caring full-time for my special needs son and my other four teenagers at home. In 2021, I eventually returned to Crowder College and completed online classes. Unfortunately, my life took a drastic turn that summer when our family contracted COVID-19, and I had to be put on a ventilator for over two weeks. When I regained consciousness, I was heartbroken to learn that my son was also on a ventilator. Sadly, he passed away, which was one of the hardest things I have ever experienced. 

Understandably, I took another break from college to focus on my healing and rebuilding. In the spring of 2023, I decided to pursue my degree with renewed determination. This time, I aimed to build a career accommodating my new physical status. My goal was to find a profession that would allow me to honor my son and his memory. This was the semester that, due to my GPA, I was happy to be invited to join Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) and the XI XI Chapter at Crowder. 

Finally, in the fall of 2023, I received my first wheelchair, which, with my daughter’s help to load and unload it out of my trunk, enabled me to attend classes in person at the Neosho campus despite the debilitating effects of degenerative osteoarthritis. So far, I have taken all available social work classes that Crowder offers and will complete the final one this semester. When I graduate with a General Associate’s degree in May 2024, it will be the accumulation of 24 years’ worth of college credits, proving it’s always possible to complete your goals. 

I look forward to continuing my education by pursuing a bachelor’s degree in social work and, eventually, a master’s in social work. My aim is to help people with disabilities overcome the obstacles that life gives them and achieve productive lives. This is how I will honor my son and all the lessons he taught me in his short 18 years. 

In September 2023, I began a work-study position at the Neosho campus Communications Division as an administrative assistant. I was happy to be invited to join the Crowder family as an employee in the same position in October. Working on the tasks assigned to me for the Quill project was one of the highlights of my working experience here at Crowder. Focusing on reaching more and more people with the Quill, especially students in our surrounding communities, was a passion of mine, and I continue to look forward to spreading the word.