And while every Metro student has traveled a path filled with challenges and successes, some of these summa cum laude graduates have stories that are unusually compelling because they achieved perfection—a perfect 4.0 grade point average—while meeting obstacles head on. @Metro profiles four of these perfect 4.0s

Not in her wildest dreams: Lynn Kernan
For 41-year-old Lynn Kernan, earning a college degree means two things. First, it represents a big step toward reaching her goal of helping people for a living. Second, it will be confirmation, finally, that she is smart.

"I've had to work really hard and when I graduate, I will know that I am an intelligent woman," says Kernan, this year's President's Award winner.

Like many people, Kernan veered off track early in her life. "I didn't really know what I wanted to do," she recalled of her first try at college 16 years ago at the University of Colorado. So she left school and took a job in property management that turned into a career. "Finally in 2001, I decided it's now or never. I came to Metro and immediately settled on a major in human services."

Kernan knew school would be a huge challenge. "I've always known I had cognitive deficits," Kernan said. She put forth the effort both in the classroom and out, taking an active role in numerous campus groups, including Alpha Delta Omega, the human services honor society; Golden Key and the Women's Studies Honor Society. She currently does relief work for two different programs run by the nonprofit agency Family Tree.

Come this Sunday all the hard work will feel worth it. "I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would get a college degree with the honors that I'm getting."

Graduating but not leaving: Dave Alden
Even after Dave Alden receives his diploma, he will continue coming to campus every day. The 33-year-old, who majored in sport industry operations and minored in marketing, will continue his other campus role of men's and women's tennis coach. He will also begin teaching the college's tennis courses and will provide marketing support to the Athletics Department.

Alden, the son of educators, decided a few years ago that it was time to finish his degree. He enrolled at Metro in spring 2003 and shortly thereafter met Athletic Director Joan McDermott when she spoke to one of his classes. Eventually Alden, who had worked for many years as a tennis pro and had coached junior and adult teams, was hired to coach Metro's teams.

"I brought a very unique perspective to coaching," Alden admits. "When the kids would complain about classes and the academic pressures they were facing, I knew exactly what they were experiencing because I was experiencing the exact same thing."

Alden is thrilled to now have a degree under his belt. "This closes a chapter in my life that has been nagging at me since I was 21. I'm looking forward to continuing at Metro but with the major difference of now having some semblance of a family life." Alden and has wife have a 2 year-old daughter and are expecting another child in March. "As much as I like Metro, I'm really looking forward to having more of a life away from the college without the pressure of school work."

Eager to get back into the working world: Tandy Hill
Whenever Tandy Hill wondered if all the work was worth it, she simply looked to her 12-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son for inspiration. "They were the motivation I needed to finish college and to do the best I can," says the 34-year-old single parent. Hill is graduating with a degree in accounting.

Hill earned her perfect grades while struggling with clinical depression, severe stress and a recent diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder. In addition, as a first-generation college student, she had to figure out a lot on her own. "My parents have been behind me 100 percent, but they've not been able to help me financially and they don't really know what it's been like for me."

Hill, who is on a Reisher Scholarship, enrolled in Metro in 2000. "I was a 30-year-old freshman sitting in a room full of 18-year-olds," Hill recalled. "I felt so out of place."

Hill quickly got acclimated, throwing herself into her studies and becoming immersed in other campus activities. She has organized a tutoring service through the Accounting Student Organization and has worked as a tutor with both the Metro Tutoring Center and Student Support Services.

"It's been a long, hard road. I'm eager to get back into the working world."

Showing children another way out: Chani Goering
Turning adversity into opportunity is something Chani Goering knows a lot about, and makes a point to teach to others.

While living in low-income housing, the 31-year-old single mother saw "many children very unsupervised, getting into trouble." Having grown up in a troubled environment herself, she reached out to four girls in particular, teaching them life skills and the importance of education. "It's important to show them that there's another way out."

One of her art professors, Claire Cornell, can't say enough about her. "She is a role model, scholar, artist, mother and professional. She has overcome poverty along with achieving a 4.0 grade-point average and will continue to make Metro State, the rest of the community and me, proud."

An art major, Goering earned scholarships from the Bill Daniels Foundation and the Peter Durst Foundation. She explains the secret of her academic success: "I needed to perform academically because I needed to pay my living expenses." She is a member of the Golden Key Honor Society, Treasurer of the Art Guild and has received professional recognition for her artwork.

Cornell adds, "In my 17 years of teaching I have come across less than a handful of students who rival Chani Goering's talent, brilliance and ability to accomplish an overwhelming amount of work at a stellar level."