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Lisa Lettau

Biography

Lisa Lettau had a well-paying job, a husband, a house, two cars, and "all the trappings of a wonderful life." But she didn't realize that something was missing until her daughter Miriam was born three years ago. "It was the most joyous experience of my life, but looking into her eyes, I wondered what she would think of her mother who had given up her dreams for material things. I did not like the answer."

Lisa had started taking college courses at night almost a decade earlier. She decided to resume her education at Essex Community College, graduating summa cum laude in 1999. She and her husband pocketed her paycheck for six months so that she could enroll at Towson full time. " I am finally gaining my baccalaureate after years of hard work, desire, and sacrifice."

Passionate about literature, Lisa appreciates being in school and enjoys discussing literature and hearing other people's opinions about what they have read. "Each work that I read," says Lisa, "is a connection to the past, a solace to my spirit in the present, and a guide for knowledge and understanding in the future."

Just as her daughter Miriam helps Lisa "see life in a more simplified way, the works of Shakespeare, Spenser, and Milton reveal the complexities of life and human nature."

Lisa is drawn to a theme in both classical and current literature about the blindness of heroes -

such as Sophocles' Oedipus and Shelley's Frankenstein - to their fates. "In my life, before I had my daughter, I was blind to the turn my life had taken. When my daughter was born, I wanted her to understand that it is always possible to achieve your dream."

Though it was difficult to quit her day job and become a full-time student, she has "never regretted it" and will "never be blind to the sacrifice that my family has made so that I can accomplish my goals." Her parents, who never went to college, are also proud.

She hopes that her daughter will remember her example "and have courage.to accomplish her dreams and not be blinded by reality."

At school, Lisa made time to tutor a learned disabled student in Medieval British literature and persisted in encouraging him to excel. She also helped a fellow student having medical problems to stay current with classwork and to be able to graduate.

Eventually she hopes to obtain a Ph.D. and teach English literature at a university.

"Literature is what I love most and sharing it with others is where I belong. I am lucky to have found my place in the world while so many people are still searching."

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