EdSurge

EdSurge reports on the people, ideas and tools shaping the future of learning.

Who are the people who started college, earned some credit—but never finished their degree? And what would it take for them to go back and earn a diploma? Lumina is proud to have helped fund EdSurge's Second Acts series of articles and podcasts.

Cheryl Gonzales, left, and Jasmine Cortinas both had families and work experience when they started college.

These Students Have Big Dreams. Their Colleges Had a Plan to Remove Hurdles.

Roadblocks to degrees don’t always come from inside the classroom. By Nadia Tamez-Robledo

There was a shift in Cheryl Gonzales’ life—a period of transition that seemed full of possibilities—around the time of a high school graduation. Not hers, her youngest daughter. Read more »

Transforming Adult Students into Scholars

After decades away, adults return to college to embrace their curiosity and conduct research. By Rebecca Koenig

Class starts with silence, and breath. Fill the balloons that are your lungs, the professor says, then empty them completely. Read more »

The Illusion of Danger

Swashbuckling into an acting career, shielded by a

college degree. By Rebecca Koenig

The doppelganger swaggers, taunting the party of friends who must pass him to continue their quest. Agnes, the least skilled fighter, desperately swings both her wooden sword and shield in the monster’s direction, trying not to notice that he has shape-shifted into a brawny caricature of her own boyfriend. Read more »

EdSurge is digging into the struggles of returning adult college students in this three-episode narrative podcast series. We’ll be following the educational journeys of three college students from different backgrounds and different parts of the country. Along the way, we’ll also meet some of their professors, academic coaches and other folks working to help them succeed.

Second Acts Podcast Series