Earning a college degree is a special moment in a person’s life: the culmination of years of hard work. It’s especially exciting to have two members of your family graduating with you. This was the case this past April 26, when sisters Mary, Sara, and Elizabeth Shopa traveled from Georgia to Connecticut to attend Holy Apostles College and Seminary’s 67th Commencement and Baccalaureate Mass and, together, received their diplomas after earning Bachelor of Arts degrees in English in the Humanities. In attendance to see his sisters graduate was their older brother, Steven, himself a 2020 graduate of Holy Apostles with a Bachelor of Arts degree with double majors in History in the Social Sciences and Philosophy.
Visiting the campus had additional significance for Steven since his commencement exercises were cancelled because of the pandemic. Not about to miss the event, the remaining members of the family of twelve traveled up from Georgia with the graduates to make it a very celebratory occasion.
The Shopa family initially discovered Holy Apostles thanks to their mother, Melinda, who served as their instructor in homeschooling. While visiting friends, she noticed a Holy Apostles advertisement in a publication at their house. The fact that Holy Apostles, through a partnership developed with their school, offered the opportunity to earn college credits while in high school caught her attention, and she showed her son, Steven.
Steven jumped at the opportunity to complete enough courses in high school to earn a bachelor’s degree one year after graduating. With a goal of attending law school, he wanted an education that could prepare him for the critical thinking necessary to succeed. The courses at Holy Apostles challenged his mind and readied him for the task.
After his positive experience, Steven recommended Holy Apostles to his sisters. Sara, Elizabeth, and Mary chose Holy Apostles for several reasons. First, as with Steven, the opportunity to work toward a bachelor’s degree while in high school was incredibly appealing. Like their brother, they appreciated the opportunity to work on coursework early and graduate after one year in college. They also witnessed how the education helped their brother achieve his goal of becoming a lawyer.
Another reason for the decision was, in Mary’s words, “The fact that we could do the coursework online made everything easier, and the low-cost tuition compared to other colleges was also a plus. Holy Apostles allowed my sisters and me to graduate debt-free, unlike what would be the experience in most other institutions. Being free of debt after college removed a lot of stress from our shoulders.”
Since earning his degree, Steven achieved his goal of becoming an attorney – he attended and graduated from law school and now practices law. Now that Sara, Mary, and Elizabeth have graduated, they are looking toward the future. Mary and Elizabeth are studying for their LSAT test and are also considering a few other careers that combine their interests and abilities. As Mary explained, “The only problem I find with having a bachelor’s degree is deciding from all the opportunities it opens up.” Sara is working on a master’s degree in creative writing with the intent of becoming a bestselling author and movie screenwriter.
Reflecting on her time at Holy Apostles Mary shared how it impacted her: “It challenged me intellectually and forced me to really think about what I was reading and writing. It is a special college with God at its center, and this has helped deepen my relationship with Him.”