Sometimes, life gets in the way of education. Students get sidetracked. They lose funding or start a family or enter the military. Years can pass before a person can enroll in college and begin to earn the degree they envisioned all those years ago.

Barbara and Allen Gough are working to ease some of those stresses with a scholarship created specifically for students who have had an interruption in studies. The funding provides assistance for tuition, books and other expenses for those students who have at least a two-year gap in their educational path and are enrolled in the School of Education and Human Services’ (SEHS) Human Resource Development (HRD) program.

” “Our goal is just to help others,” Barbara said. “It gives you a good feeling.”

After raising two children and serving as a community volunteer for many years, Barbara became a student herself when she enrolled in the Human Resource Development program, earning her bachelor’s degree in 1992. After adding a master’s degree from Wayne State University, she soon was working for some of metro Detroit’s leading firms, including Chrysler, GM and Comcast.

Still, she found time to work as a part-time instructor in the SEHS. There, she saw other students who had returned to school, and she watched many of them struggle to juggle life’s responsibilities with studying and tests. With a nudge from her husband, Barbara established the scholarship fund, which is now in its fourth year.

From left, students Denise Fournier and Jane Owen receive scholarship awards from the Goughs

The scholarship has been a lifesaver for students like Jane Owen, a graduate of the HRD program. “I was fortunate to receive the Gough Scholarship at a time when I needed financial support to finish school in a timely manner,” Owen said. “I’m an older student and needed and wanted to begin a new career. The scholarship enabled me to take 20 credits a semester and begin working.”

Owen saw other students who were not as fortunate. “I was going to school when the economy started to decline,” she said. “I felt terrible for the students who could not continue because of lack of funding.”

“Beyond the financial safety net that scholarships provide, they also give recipients an added confidence,” Marcia Riemer, SEHS internship coordinator and master of training and development program administrator said. “It’s a nice pat on the back for doing such great work. It’s quite an accomplishment to get a scholarship.”

The Goughs have met with all of the scholarship recipients, and Barbara has provided mentoring to a number of the students, providing them with insights and advice as they begin their new careers.

Although Barbara no longer teaches at Oakland, she and Allen have remained deeply involved, serving on the Resource Development Board and helping raise funds for SEHS and the HRD program. “The Goughs have meant a lot to our department,” Riemer said. “By giving this scholarship, they have shown what learning and this program mean to them. They’ve been an integral part of everything we do here.”

For Barbara and Allen, creating that scholarship has been a deeply fulfilling experience. “With a scholarship, you can see the results of your giving,” Allen said. “It’s very rewarding.”

Barbara agrees. “There isn’t a better gift than giving someone the tools they need to make their life better.”