"When making a dream possible, frequently it is not based on ease or convenience".

Working a full-time job, tending to the needs of a family, and pursuing a college degree is an arduous task. Kathy Lengel met the challenge, conquered it, and now she’s a Vincennes University graduate.

Wearing a graduation cap decorated with photos of her husband and three children as a way of thanking them for their support, Kathy accepted an associate of science degree in health information management at Mid-Year Commencement exercises on Saturday.

Kathy made a lengthy trip to campus for the graduation ceremony. She lives in Reading, Pennsylvania, and prior to that day had never set foot on campus. Yet there she was, at the Red Skelton Performing Arts Center, walking across the stage and accepting her degree. A beaming smile highlighted her face as she stood in recognition when VU President Chuck Johnson commended her accomplishment during his graduation address.

A journey that began in 2009, then resumed in 2015, is now complete. She has made her dream reality and encourages others to do the same. “Now that I am done,” Kathy said, “I realize the true value of my education.”

Kathy is a Clinical Documentation Services manager at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She has worked in the health information management field for 25 years, including 20 years as a manager, without a degree. Nearly a decade ago she decided it was time to earn one and opted to pursue a degree through Vincennes University’s Distance Education Program.

“In addition to choosing VU because I had a coworker who graduated from the HIM program, I was also drawn to VU because of the cost,” she said. “VU was very affordable compared to other colleges that I looked at.”

Kathy glowingly praised the health information management curriculum and its approach to education. What blew her away was the program’s depth.