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Home > Featured Stories > Innovation and Discovery > December 2008 > Spotlight on Distance Education > 2008 NC State Valedictorian Wrestles Degree from Illness' Grip2008 NC State Valedictorian Wrestles Degree from Illness' Grip
It was apparent that my professors truly loved to teach and had passion for the subjects they taught, and they were willing to work with my unique circumstances to provide challenging and engaging lessons.
2008 NC State valedictorian Lindsey Lewchuk, who graduated with a degree in philosophy after completing 100% of her coursework through distance education
Lindsay Lewchuk, shown here with her dog, Cheeky, feels that distance education courses can provide opportunities for greater one-on-one interaction with NC State professors.
By Dave Pond, Web Communication
Although a rare, environmentally-based health condition kept her from ever pursuing a degree on NC State's campus, it couldn't stop Lindsay Lewchuk from excelling in the classroom.
The 2008 valedictorian took advantage of the wide range of distance-education delivery methods available to NC State students – ranging from independent study and video-based lectures to live, two-way web courses – as she pursued her undergraduate degree in philosophy.
"Distance education was a blessing, since it was the only option available to me if I were to continue my education," said Lewchuk, who became ill at age 16 and completed her high-school diploma requirements with the help of a liaison from her local high school, through home schooling and online courses available from a Web-based high school. "Coming to classes, in the beginning, was never an option.
"NC State was appealing because of its academic reputation," she said. "After an interview with Mary Tetro and Dr. Tom Miller, Vice Provost for Distance Education & Learning Technology, it became very apparent that NC State would meet many of my particular needs, primarily because of their progressive attitude towards distance education."
During her seven years of undergraduate study, Lewchuk said that her professors would routinely go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that the virtual education she received was on par with those of her "brick-and-mortar"-based classmates.
"Obviously, it meant both time and effort on the part of these special people," she said. "It was apparent that my professors truly loved to teach and had passion for the subjects they taught, and they were willing to work with my unique circumstances to provide challenging and engaging lessons."
For example, she recalled that Dr. Lavon Page [Mathematics] utilized QuickTime (a multimedia framework capable of handling various formats of digital video, media clips, sound, text and animation) to provide white board lectures so that Lewchuk could see the mathematical processes appear step-by-step.
In addition, Dr. Michael J. Pendlebury, professor of Philosophy and head of NC State's Department of Philosophy and Religion, would routinely seek out individual professors in order to help Lewchuk fulfill her degree requirements.
"By far, the greatest benefit to taking classes in these formats was the professors," she said. "Their efforts enabled me to complete my degree 100% distance, which was required by my health disability."
Since graduating from NC State, Lewchuk has continued to pursue her dreams of higher education while taking new treatments for her medical condition. She recently began a distance-education-based master's program in philosophy at Charlotte's Southern Evangelical Seminary, and plans to attend law school upon receiving her degree.
She also works as a part-time graphic and web designer and is publishing her first children's book, and credits distance education with opening doors that would otherwise have been slammed shut.
"You get out of it what you put into it – dedication and self-motivation to the program are a must," Lewchuk said. "If you slack off and skip the assignments, you're going to do just as poorly as you would have if taking the course in a traditional classroom setting.
"Though the benefits of distance education are more easily articulated in the scope of offering accessibility for disabled students, distance education classes are an option for all students," she said. "I watched the same lectures as the in-class students and in some respects, I even had greater access to the professors.
"Distance education opens doors for everyone to attend classes, as the computer is a great equalizer."
