A Degree 44 Years in the Making

Born during the heart of the Civil Rights Movement and raised in the turbulent decades that followed, Luegerther “Jackie” Sykes has experienced more than a few challenges. But as the Rutgers University–Camden community saw during Commencement Week 2024, she never allowed those challenges to dampen her interest in pursuing an education.

Sykes graduated from the Rutgers–Camden College of Arts and Science in May with a degree in economics, more than four decades after she started her coursework in the summer of 1980. The celebratory moment, so many years in the making, prompted Sykes to reflect on how far she has come.

“It was different when I first started," Sykes said. “The library had books—that was our technology.” She has happy memories of the Raptor Roost in the Campus Center, where she taught her son to play pool.

She attended Rutgers–Camden with support from the New Jersey Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF), which provides financial assistance and support services, including counseling, tutoring, and developmental coursework for individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

“I was able to start a few months early because of the EOF program, which helped me become accustomed to what would be expected of me in college,” Sykes said.

By 1983, Sykes was married and had three children, but she remained committed to her studies and continued to take classes even as she cared for her family and worked outside the home. She remembers those early years very fondly.

“We were living in East Camden, and my children were in daycare, and together we would take the bus down to campus, and on nice days, we'd walk home after I was finished,” Sykes said.

Unfortunately, in 1988, financial pressures forced her to put her part-time studies on hold. She went on to have a successful professional career in a variety of roles, eventually obtaining her paralegal certificate and landing at a local law firm.

Life threw Sykes another curveball in the early 2000s: Her son, Robert Campbell, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Because the progression of his disease quickly led him to become wheelchair-bound, Sykes decided to leave her job and seek training as a home health care aide so she could care for her son full time.

“It was very difficult to find reliable care,” said Sykes, “When I learned that New Jersey allows individuals to request a family member be their designated caregiver, I decided to pursue the training needed to make that happen.”

Jackie Sykes and her son Robert Campbell

The training to become a certified caregiver included classroom instruction and clinical training on various topics, including infection control, personal care, and transferring individuals safely in and out of a wheelchair. She also learned to do advanced tracheostomy care after her son suffered a severe bout of pneumonia that required a three-month stay in the intensive care unit at Cooper Hospital.

“It was rough at first, but it all got easier over time,” Sykes said. She came to embrace her new role as her son's full-time caregiver but never imagined it would lead her back to Rutgers–Camden. However, in 2016, that is precisely what happened.

“I started coming to campus for meetings with a group that focused on caregiving specifically for people with MS,” Sykes said. “One day, out of curiosity, I went to the registrar's office to see where I stood with my degree, and to my surprise, I was only 11 credits shy of graduation.”

Sykes reenrolled in 2016 as an economics major, eager to return to the subject that was her focus and passion so many years ago. “Economics has so many layers. It's history, politics, and finance all rolled into one,” she said.

Not surprisingly, the campus Sykes returned to was drastically different from the one she left in 1988, physically and technologically. In addition, she faced the challenge of finding care for her son so she could attend class. Eventually, Sykes decided to bring him with her. While her journey to degree completion was not easy, she was not fazed worried by returning to school with students less than half her age.

“I’ll be honest, I wasn’t worried about my age gap,” Sykes said. “I was more worried about whether I would be able to manage all the new technology that had come along since I was last in school. Years ago, we just used graph paper; there were no software programs."

Sykes credits the university community with helping her get to graduation day. Those who know her credit her tenacity and delight in learning as a significant part of her success.

“Jackie expressed unparalleled joy when she was able to overcome a difficult problem,” said Selim Cakmakli, an assistant professor in the Rutgers–Camden Department of Economics. Sykes took the course Forecasting and Business Cycles with Cakmakli in the fall of 2023 and recalled how he patiently assisted her in understanding the software needed to succeed in the class.

“Jackie has a powerful sense of purpose and service to others," said Nate Walker, a lecturer in the university's Department of Philosophy and Religion. He had Sykes as a student in two different courses as she finished her degree. “She consistently elevated our classes with her empathetic and selfless zest for life.”

While her joy and zest for life were on display as she crossed the stage at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion to receive her diploma, what she feels more than anything is gratitude.

“I am so grateful to get my degree after all these years,” said Sykes. “I am a senior citizen now, and I'm just so glad I came back to Rutgers–Camden to pursue my goal of getting my degree.”

“I am so grateful I will get my degree after all these years. I am a senior citizen now, and I'm just so glad I came back to Rutgers–Camden to pursue my goal of getting my degree.”
Luegerther “Jackie” Sykes CCAS'24

Photography: Caroline Brobeil