Graduation at Edgewood College
It’s never too late!
It’s never too late!
By Laura Salinger
If anybody embodies that popular catch phrase, “It’s never too late,” it’s Vickie Dansbury. At 51, Dansbury
(armed with the inaugural Betty Franklin-Hammonds Returning Adult Student scholarship from the Urban League
of Greater Madison) headed back to college. At 59, Dansbury recently graduated with a Master’s in Marriage and
Family Therapy from Edgewood College.
Dansbury’s road to obtain a degree was not without struggle. From protests to school closings to rigorous
commutes, Dansbury has fought long and hard for this accomplishment.
While Dansbury has long held successful jobs and contributed to her community, the idea of college has
niggled her brain for years. Born and raised in Beloit, Dansbury grew up in a home where college was not the
norm. Yet, Dansbury does not fault her parents for their inexperience with higher education.
“I don’t fault my parents, because they grew up in a time when education was not readily available for
Black people,” she said. While Dansbury’s mother attended vocational school in Beloit, her father did not
graduate from high school.
“They didn’t know how to encourage me, because they didn’t have that experience,” Dansbury said. “They
enjoyed reading and they encouraged us to read. They always said do the best you can. But they didn’t have
that college experience.”
Despite the fact that college wasn’t a part of her parent’s history, Dansbury did initially set out to get a
college degree. She started college at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Instead of obtaining a degree,
however, Dansbury became part of history.
On Nov. 21, 1968, African-American students attending Wisconsin State University-Oshkosh engaged in
dramatic demonstrations that resulted in mass arrests and the expulsion of 94 students. According to Dansbury,
these students of color were fighting to have more involvement in their school, more Black instructors, and more
courses related to African Americans. The day was dubbed Black Thursday.
Vickie Dansbury earns her master’s degree
from Edgewood College.
from Edgewood College.
“I didn’t once think about the backlash,” Dansbury said about the protests. Yet, Dansbury was expelled and her initial path to obtain a college degree was
stunted.
Dansbury later enrolled at UW-Milwaukee, but the financial burden proved to weighty. “I didn’t have the focus I have now,” Dansbury said. “So, I left and
worked various jobs. In the back of mind was always that idea that I will return. I will get my degree.”
Yet, years went by and Dansbury continued working in various fields. She has been a 911 dispatcher, a debit and credit card fraud investigator and most
recently, a program support coordinator for Mental Health Center of Dane County’s Gateway Project. Still, she wanted to do more.
“I looked at the community and I saw the disarray, the confusion,” Dansbury said. “I saw parents struggling. Even though I was volunteering in the
community, I didn’t feel like I was doing enough. So, I discussed it with my husband and I said, ‘I want to do more.’ He said, ‘Well, then you need to go back to
school.’”
Dansbury enrolled at Mt. Scenario College, a correspondence college based in Ladysmith, with high hopes. These hopes were soon dashed.
“They closed around a year after I enrolled,” she said. “I was crushed.”
After the initial shock wore off, Dansbury-with the help of her husband-found a weekend undergraduate program at UW-Greenbay and enrolled. She then
embarked on a rigorous routine of working in Madison during the week and commuting to Green Bay for classes on the weekend. She graduated in 2006.
But this wasn’t the end for Dansbury. She applied for the Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program at Edgewood College with the determination to further her
education. She graduated on May 20 and plans to finish her practicum this summer.
“I have not stopped singing Pomp and Circumstance,” Dansbury said when asked how she felt about graduating from Edgewood College. “It is definitely a
fete for me.”
Dansbury said she could have not have done it without the support from her husband (which she says was monumental), her community, and her faith. For
the Black community, Dansbury admits that education has come along way since Black Thursday.
“Education in the black community became a lie,” Dansbury said about the past. “We were told go to school and get our degree….and then ‘come out here
and we will get you jobs.’ It was a lie, because even though we were qualified, we didn’t the job. After a while, people said ‘forget it.’ What is happening now is a
refocus on the honesty of education. I think that’s what our President is working on. I think he’s hoping to recapture transparency in education.”
While Dansbury acknowledges the momentous fete of Pres. Obama taking office, she cautions people of color against becoming complacent with what she
calls the “one syndrome.”
“I think it does speak very loudly to the statement, you can be what you want to be,” she said at Pres. Obama taking office. “But don’t we always know of
one? One will always get through. We don’t want it to end up in the one syndrome, we want it to end up in the all syndrome.”
That’s why, while Dansbury plans to pursue a career in psychotherapy, she also hopes to become a voice in the community that encourages a college
education for all, regardless of age, race, or background.
“Now I can say to other people, ‘Yes you can, I will help you,’” Dansbury said.
stunted.
Dansbury later enrolled at UW-Milwaukee, but the financial burden proved to weighty. “I didn’t have the focus I have now,” Dansbury said. “So, I left and
worked various jobs. In the back of mind was always that idea that I will return. I will get my degree.”
Yet, years went by and Dansbury continued working in various fields. She has been a 911 dispatcher, a debit and credit card fraud investigator and most
recently, a program support coordinator for Mental Health Center of Dane County’s Gateway Project. Still, she wanted to do more.
“I looked at the community and I saw the disarray, the confusion,” Dansbury said. “I saw parents struggling. Even though I was volunteering in the
community, I didn’t feel like I was doing enough. So, I discussed it with my husband and I said, ‘I want to do more.’ He said, ‘Well, then you need to go back to
school.’”
Dansbury enrolled at Mt. Scenario College, a correspondence college based in Ladysmith, with high hopes. These hopes were soon dashed.
“They closed around a year after I enrolled,” she said. “I was crushed.”
After the initial shock wore off, Dansbury-with the help of her husband-found a weekend undergraduate program at UW-Greenbay and enrolled. She then
embarked on a rigorous routine of working in Madison during the week and commuting to Green Bay for classes on the weekend. She graduated in 2006.
But this wasn’t the end for Dansbury. She applied for the Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) program at Edgewood College with the determination to further her
education. She graduated on May 20 and plans to finish her practicum this summer.
“I have not stopped singing Pomp and Circumstance,” Dansbury said when asked how she felt about graduating from Edgewood College. “It is definitely a
fete for me.”
Dansbury said she could have not have done it without the support from her husband (which she says was monumental), her community, and her faith. For
the Black community, Dansbury admits that education has come along way since Black Thursday.
“Education in the black community became a lie,” Dansbury said about the past. “We were told go to school and get our degree….and then ‘come out here
and we will get you jobs.’ It was a lie, because even though we were qualified, we didn’t the job. After a while, people said ‘forget it.’ What is happening now is a
refocus on the honesty of education. I think that’s what our President is working on. I think he’s hoping to recapture transparency in education.”
While Dansbury acknowledges the momentous fete of Pres. Obama taking office, she cautions people of color against becoming complacent with what she
calls the “one syndrome.”
“I think it does speak very loudly to the statement, you can be what you want to be,” she said at Pres. Obama taking office. “But don’t we always know of
one? One will always get through. We don’t want it to end up in the one syndrome, we want it to end up in the all syndrome.”
That’s why, while Dansbury plans to pursue a career in psychotherapy, she also hopes to become a voice in the community that encourages a college
education for all, regardless of age, race, or background.
“Now I can say to other people, ‘Yes you can, I will help you,’” Dansbury said.