For years, Cindy Cipriani believed she wasn’t “college material” – a belief instilled in her by her parents when she was 17 years old.
Just shy of 50 years later, she recently graduated from Rowan University with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, earning a 3.94 GPA (out of 4.0) through Rowan’s online psychology program — while running a business, coaching clients and balancing family life.
Her story is one of resilience, reinvention and proof that returning to college as an adult learner can transform more than a résumé.
Building the Foundation to Go to College as an Adult Learner
“I was told I wasn’t smart enough for college,” she says, reflecting on how very different her world was in 1977 as a young bride.
Absorbing the belief that a college education was not for her, Cindy’s path did not include continuing her education after high school. Instead, she married at 18 and raised a family as a stay-at-home mother.
I was told I wasn’t smart enough for college.
Then, a difficult divorce upended her life. It was the 1990s, her sons were teenagers, and Cindy needed to establish a household on her own – including finding a way to pay the bills.
She shares that, over time, she was also made to believe that she wasn’t smart enough to get a job. “After my divorce, I didn’t even have enough self-confidence to go for a job interview,” Cindy says. “I started my own business cleaning houses, because I knew I was really good at cleaning,” she says.
Cindy’s no-frills goal was to pay the bills. But, this time period in her life did so much more: it laid the foundation for what was to come.
“This is when the coaching started,” Cindy recalls. She began hiring women to work for her, women living in shelters. She wanted to give a hand up to people like herself, people rebuilding their lives after domestic abuse and personal struggle. “I had gotten out of that situation, and I was really passionate about helping other women to realize that they could also leave those types of conditions,” she says.
She became a boss and a mentor.
But the idea of earning a bachelor’s degree never left her.
What Inspired Her to Pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology
The turning point came for Cindy as she sat in the audience at her youngest son’s graduation ceremony at Rowan University 10 years ago.
“I was just so proud,” she says. “But I also realized I was having a feeling I couldn’t quite put my finger on.”
A student speaker took the platform to share a speech. This newly minted graduate, however, was not a young 20-something, but rather a gentleman in his 80s.
“He said that if anybody is sitting in the audience who has always wanted to go to college and you think you’re too old, I am here to tell you that you’re not,” Cindy shares. “I got chills when he said that then, and I get chills thinking about it now.
“It was in that moment that I realized I was jealous that I never had the opportunity to earn a college degree,” she says.
It was also at that moment that she vowed to change that.
Cindy enrolled at her local community college (Rowan College of South Jersey), then transferred into Rowan University’s online psychology degree program — choosing psychology because of her passion for emotional wellness coaching and grief counseling. “That’s really where my passion is, in helping people with their mental health,” she says.
Moving Past Uncertainty & Going Back to School Later in Life
After she earned her associate degree at the community college, Cindy took a year off from her studies. At that time, she did think to herself, “You know … community college is one thing. But can I go to a university? Can I really do that?”
This was Cindy’s last metamorphosis. When she enrolled at Rowan University, it was proof to herself that she discarded the last of the old beliefs that were instilled in her long ago as a teenager.
“Now,” she says, “I look at my grade point average. I have a 3.94 GPA. I wish I knew then what I know now: like how smart I am. I know I can challenge myself and figure things out.”
Cindy illustrates, “This semester I took a digital media class and it was way over my head. I’m sitting here with all these young kids who pick it up just like that. But I’m proud of myself. I think to myself: You know what? It’s keeping my brain young. It’s challenging me.
“I walk on campus and I feel like I’m 21. I certainly don’t feel 67.”
I walk on campus and I feel like I’m 21. I certainly don’t feel 67.
Why Choosing an Online College Close to Home Made All the Difference
For adult learners, flexibility is essential. But credibility and community matter too. “I didn’t want an anonymous online college,” she says. “I wanted a real university with a real campus.” For adult learners in South Jersey and the surrounding region, Rowan’s proximity makes higher education feel accessible and tangible, not distant and anonymous.
Cindy chose Rowan University’s online psychology program because it offered:
- A respected public research university
- The ability to study online while running a business
- Access to campus resources close to home
- In-person tutoring, library and tech support
- The option to study on campus when she wanted to
Having taken in-person classes at the beginning of her college career, Cindy is also able to compare the in-person vs. online classes experience. Her perspective is, “The education is just as good as being in class in person.”
Even as an online student, she brought her laptop to campus, studied in the student center and used tutoring services in person. She describes it as “the best of both worlds.”
I wanted a real university with a real campus.
In fact, “Sometimes I would just take my laptop to campus, do homework, and then go across the street to the student cafeteria to have lunch,” she says.
Cindy looked forward to attending her own graduation ceremony – this time with her sons in the audience, watching their mom cross the stage. Next to them was her second husband, a supportive partner who believes in her and encourages her to pursue her goals.
Succeeding in an Online Psychology Program With a 3.94 GPA
Balancing coursework with professional responsibilities required discipline.
Online classes allowed her to:
- Take three courses at a time
- Enroll year-round (fall, spring, summer, winter)
- Avoid commuting and scheduling barriers
- Progress steadily without overwhelming her calendar
When she encountered algebra — a required course she hadn’t taken in years — she leaned into Rowan’s tutoring center.
“I asked questions,” she says. “If I didn’t understand something, I spoke up.”
Her life experience enriched classroom discussions, which take place through discussion boards. Professors and classmates valued her perspective from decades in business and coaching.
She graduated with a 3.94 GPA, a number that loudly disproves the narrative she once believed about herself.
Turning a Psychology Degree Into Career Growth and Community Impact
Cindy’s psychology degree strengthens her existing emotional wellness coaching and grief counseling practice. She is happy with her clientele, and looks forward to confidently saying yes to future opportunities.
In fact, a rehabilitation center recently hired Cindy to lead group sessions, which expands her professional reach and applies the knowledge and skills from her psychology degree in a new way.
“I am very proud of myself,” Cindy says, “But I am also kind of sad because I’ve been working toward this goal for so long and it’s here. It makes me think: ‘What’s next?’”
What’s next?
She sees education not as a checkbox, but as leverage for meaningful impact. As she looks ahead to what’s next, Cindy sees only opportunity and choice.
For now, she is enjoying balancing her time, professionally and personally. She dedicates herself to her coaching practice two days a week, which provides her with professional satisfaction and meaning. She also works two days a week as chairperson of the board at Cipriani Remodeling Solutions, a business her husband started before they met. She completed her school assignments in the evenings and on weekends. Cindy allows herself one weekday off, which she spends with her new grandbaby.
A First-Generation College Student Proving It’s Never Too Late
As a first-generation college student, Cindy hopes her story encourages others considering returning to college later in life.
“There are so many people in their 40s, 50s and beyond who want to change careers or finish what they started,” she says. “Online education makes that possible.”
When she walked across the stage at graduation, surrounded by family — including the son whose ceremony inspired her — the moment became full circle.
Not because she needed a degree to prove her worth.
But because she chose to earn one anyway.
[Editor note: Congratulations, Cindy, on your remarkable personal and professional achievement. We are so #RowanPROUD of you!]
Why Rowan for Your Psychology Degree?
As the fastest-growing public research institution in the Northeast and ranked among the nation’s top 10 by The Chronicle of Higher Education’s annual almanac, Rowan University offers the resources of an R1 (very high research activity) while maintaining the close-knit connections of a smaller school.
One of the largest majors at Rowan, the psychology major offers a robust and flexible curriculum, allowing students to pick and choose which areas of psychology to explore.
The program is offered both through in person or fully online modalities. In addition, psychology majors can choose an accelerated format through our Degree in 3 program or as a 3+1 program with our community college partner, in which students graduate in four years with both a bachelor’s and a master’s.
About Rowan Online
Rowan Online empowers learners throughout the region with high-quality, accessible and affordable online education backed by the innovation and forward-thinking of Rowan University. Rowan’s flexible online programs seamlessly connect students to award-winning faculty and industry leaders, comprehensive student support services and academic resources—no matter where they are. In collaboration with Rowan’s nationally ranked colleges and schools, Rowan Online delivers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in high-demand, future-focused fields. Guided by employer insight and industry-driven curriculum, Rowan Online prepares students to excel in a rapidly evolving workforce and lead in their professions and communities.
Alumni Success Stories
Explore how our alumni propel their Rowan University education into lasting success, as highlighted through our alumni success series. From Rowan University student to lifelong member of the Rowan University Alumni Association, Rowan Profs thrive at every stage of their journey. Go Profs!