- Cathy and Liz Pickering, UMUC Students
School of Undergraduate Studies
MyUMUC Story:
The Pickering Sisters Share Fun and Competition at UMUC
By: Julie S. Epstein
Born just one year apart at Edwards Air Force Base in California, Liz and Cathy Pickering have always been close.
Growing up in a military family, the sisters have lived near military installations all of their lives. When the Pickering family moved to Southern Maryland and it came time for the sisters to consider college, they chose to earn their associate degrees at the College of Southern Maryland (CSM), located near the Naval Air Station in Maryland. When Liz enrolled at CSM after graduating high school in 2004, Cathy joined her older sister by applying for Early Admission Status, which allowed her to earn college credit while finishing her senior year.
The sisters studied hard to keep their grades up, which helped them to earn the Maryland Community College Transfer Scholarship, a UMUC fund available to outstanding graduates of participating community colleges, such as CSM. The sisters received their associate's degrees in 2005 and soon began pursuing their bachelor of science in business administration degrees at UMUC.
"The program has helped us get closer to our goal," said Liz, who, along with her sister, hopes to one day work for the Department of Defense.
While the girls have enjoyed side-by-side success, they also admit to indulging in a little healthy competition.
"We do compete against each other for the best grades," said Cathy, "which makes us do our best—trying to outdo each other."
"We are pretty close," added Liz. "It seems we are actually getting closer as we get older. I'm sure one day we will look back and appreciate the good times we had together while attending UMUC."
The sisters are finishing their program by taking classes both online and at UMUC’s Southern Maryland Higher Education Center location.
In addition to studying together, they will also work together in their new summer positions at the Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Maryland. They hope to earn their bachelor degrees in May 2008.
