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Laura L. Cruikshank

Biography

Laura Cruikshank, 44, went back to school at the age of 42, a divorced mother of three boys, determined to advance her education and follow her ambition to be a writer and journalist. Although she did below-average work in high school, she has achieved a 3.75 grade point average and was elected to the Phi Theta Kappa honor society at Wenatchee Valley Community College (WVCC) in Wenatchee, WA. Ms. Cruikshank has been a sales clerk, a cook, café manager, and volunteer fitness instructor, has founded a women's support network in her hometown, and is now establishing a new WVCC student newspaper.

Ms. Cruikshank, who found herself a divorced mother of three boys after eleven years of a bad marriage, took jobs as a cook and server to support her family and then went back to school at the age of 42. She did well, compiling a 3.75 grade point average and winning a scholarship and election to Phi Theta Kappa honor society. Her philosophy was simple: "We live in a society that encourages temporary fixes to big problems," she wrote. "The power we have within ourselves is the real healer."

As a result of her marital experience, Ms. Cruikshank realized that divorced women without job skills and little education often cannot find employment and many wind up in poverty. She said as a writer she hoped to focus public attention on this issue and explore new ways for women to overcome their difficulties. She also wants to write about mental illness, which she thinks is often vastly misunderstood.

Growing up, Laura suffered from asthma and was discouraged from taking part in sports and physical activities. But she began running as an adult and competed in long-distance races. "Through exercise I was able to build up my cardiovascular strength and I no longer suffer from asthma," she reported. Teaching fitness to grade school children, she added, she used her own experience to encourage an overweight child, also afflicted with asthma, to build up her strength and self-esteem.

One faculty adviser noted that Ms. Cruikshank has launched a one-woman campaign to start a newspaper at Wenatchee Valley College, doing research, finding resources, and persuading college authorities to support the project. "She is a strong leader who is able to convince others to pitch in to a worthy cause," said Professor Bonnie Orr. "Laura is a woman who can achieve her dream."

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