麻豆app

When Dan and Cherish Dempsey enrolled in college in 2018, they were already living a life defined by service and sacrifice. Both were serving on active duty in the U.S. Air Force 鈥� Dan as a master sergeant and Cherish as a technical sergeant 鈥� while raising their daughter, Kayla, in Colorado Springs. By 2020, both transitioned into the U.S. Space Force.

Pursuing higher education during those times and amid those demands might have seemed a challenge, but for the Dempseys, the online programs at Granite State College (now the 麻豆app College of Professional Studies) provided the right fit at the right time.听

A Shared Educational Journey听

Cherish was the first to take the leap back into education. She began her bachelor鈥檚 degree at 33 years old. Although she took a few courses at various community colleges to complete her A.A.S. Air & Space Technology from the Community College of the Air Force, her experience with higher education was minimal. Since military families often have little control over where they live or when they will be deployed, flexibility and mobility are essential.

"The research I did about the college and its听听led me to highly positive reviews from other people鈥檚 experiences, and it seemed like the perfect fit, especially when it was on the list of schools participating in the听听program," Cherish says.听

Her motivations were deeply personal: achieving something no one in her family had done, pursuing professional growth, staying competitive for post-military employment, and most of all, inspiring her daughter, Kayla.听

Dan followed one semester later. For years, he had been unsure about his academic goals, but Cherish鈥檚 leap motivated him to find an educational pathway that was compatible with his professional demands.听

鈥淲hen Cherish started in summer 2018, it made me realize that my uncertainty had become an excuse,鈥� he reflects. 鈥淪eeing her pursue something she was passionate about made my path much clearer.鈥澨�

Military Life

Both credit their military training for helping them complete their degrees, noting that it instilled in them a commitment to finishing what they start and doing so with quality, purpose, and a genuine desire for continual improvement. Around the time Dan enrolled in 2018, he was serving in key organizational leadership roles, and his schedule was frequently shaped by the needs of others. UNH supported his learning when he needed to take a semester off to attend the in-residence portion of the Joint Special Operations Forces Senior Enlisted Academy鈥檚 demanding eight-month curriculum.听

"By the time I graduated with my master鈥檚, I was responsible for a 400-member organization. The online programs offered significant compatibility with changing demands," Dan says.听

Adds Cherish:听鈥淭he flexibility within the online program enabled me to take a semester off to focus on studying for promotion to master sergeant in 2019. This was especially important for my professional growth and capability to serve those depending on my leadership.鈥澨�

Family Commitment to Education听

Their shared pursuit of higher education became a family endeavor, one that deeply influenced their daughter, Kayla.听

While education had not been a defining part of their family identity in previous generations, Dan and Cherish approached their own academic journeys as true self-starters. Both entered college as first-generation students, navigating unfamiliar systems without a roadmap. There was no family playbook to guide them through applications, financial aid, or course selection. Instead, they relied on determination, military discipline, and one another to persist 鈥� often completing assignments in the late hours after long duty shifts or during significant organizational change as they served in key roles during the Space Force鈥檚 activation. For them, pursuing degrees was about more than earning credentials; it was about changing the trajectory of their family鈥檚 story.听听

That hard-earned perspective shaped Kayla's understanding about education. Unlike her parents, who had to blaze their own trail, Kayla saw higher education modeled as both possible and powerful. From an early age, she absorbed the message that college was not a distant dream but an attainable goal, something her parents were actively living out. Cherish explained that this steady exposure to education gave Kayla both confidence and ambition. By age 14, she was already enrolling in college-level courses through a dual enrollment program at a local college. Currently, as a junior in high school, she is among the top of her class with a 4.33 GPA.听

For Dan and Cherish, Kayla's accomplishments represent more than academic talent. They are the culmination of sacrifices made, barriers overcome, and values intentionally passed on.听

Reflecting on her own journey, Cherish shares:听鈥淚 grew up in a household that certainly valued education; however, it wasn鈥檛 a central part of our family鈥檚 identity, nor was it a tradition passed down. We worked hard to model the value of higher education for Kayla from an early age."听

Value of the Capstone Experience听

Dan鈥檚听听culminated in a capstone project titled "Institutional Change and Employee Commitment in the United States Space Force." He views the capstone as a valuable learning tool, emphasizing the importance of staying true to oneself and remaining open to seeking and applying feedback throughout the process.

鈥淭he capstone enables a student to connect their passion for something with a body of scholarly work as a practitioner," Dan says. "Beyond any specific topic, the core experience provides students with a deep understanding of academic methodology. To this day, I recall more about the methodology than any details about my own research and paper. That is the biggest positive resulting from the capstone.鈥澨�

Dan noted that his perspective evolved between undergraduate and graduate studies. As an undergraduate, his goal was to understand what corporations value, how they differ from military organizations, and how to adapt his military skills to civilian contexts. By the time he pursued his master鈥檚, he saw the coursework less as a way to fill knowledge gaps and more as a means to equip himself with data-driven tools. Today, as a chief master sergeant, this has enabled Dan to solve real-world problems and increase his organization鈥檚 effectiveness.听

Building a Foundation for the Future听

As Cherish describes, graduating together in 2022 was a powerful milestone:听

"For us both, the experience was perfect. Our family got to visit New Hampshire for the first time ever, and the feeling of accomplishing a lifelong goal was something we got to share together," she says.听

The Dempseys now hope their story inspires others to take the leap into education.听

鈥淣o matter how busy life feels, education is worth it," says Cherish.听"It opens doors and gives you confidence in your future.鈥澨�

Photographs by听Ashley Valone Photography