When Marionetta Glover-Caige ’94 decided it was time to make estate plans, she thought long and hard about where she wanted to make an impact.
“I decided the way I could give back was to give to a school,” she says.
The long road to a degree
It took Glover-Caige 14 years to complete her bachelor’s degree. It wasn’t for lack of dedication and resources, though. She had a busy life that included a husband, child and full-time job, so she worked toward her degree one class at a time.
An IT professional, she started her career working at a help desk and held roles in database administration and software testing. The slow and steady approach was working for her, but there came a point when she was ready to speed things up. She was pleased to learn so many of her prior credits would transfer to UMGC, which made the process easier, but what really tipped the scales in her favor was when her employer selected her for an academic fellowship.
“I got to finish the last 18 hours of my degree program as a full-time student while getting paid for my full-time job with benefits,” she explained.
Glover-Caige earned her Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Management from UMGC in 1994. During this period, Glover-Caige was promoted, too. A decade later, she decided to return to school to earn her MBA so she could continue to progress in her career.
“I’m still working in the computer field as a senior systems engineer,” she says.
Called to make a difference
As Glover-Caige and her husband worked on getting their affairs in order earlier this year, she was inspired by the thought of helping change someone’s life through education as hers had been. She says she knows that there are many people out there who want to earn a degree, but the obstacles of life make it difficult or impossible for them to pursue this dream.
“It could be somebody like me trying to work full time and trying to go to school part time, or it could be a young person right out of high school,” she explains. “I believe there are a lot of smart individuals in the world who, through no fault of their own, never had the opportunity [to earn a degree].”
For example, some students may grow up with parents who don’t know how to help them navigate the college admissions process. Some may be in school systems where higher education isn’t emphasized, and others might lack the financial resources to enroll in a degree program. Responsibilities can also get in between someone and their desire to improve their life through education, as Glover-Caige knows first-hand.
Making Marionetta’s Dream come true
In late 2023, Glover-Caige founded the Marionetta’s Dream In Memory Of Norvell And Lucille Glover Endowed Scholarship Fund. The purpose of this fund, which is named in honor of her parents, is to provide scholarship support to African American undergraduate and graduate students in STEM-related majors at UMGC.
Glover-Caige’s wish is to help someone who needs financial assistance reach their goals and dreams.
“If we can help a student no matter what age achieve their goals, then we have passed on our blessings to them,” she says.
Learn more
Learn more about UMGC’s scholarship programs. Interesting in making a contribution to help students achieve their academic goals? Click here.