Christine Gurley Computer Engineering Florida Community College, Class of 2007

Constantly Chasing the Finish Line

Christine Gurley
Florida Community College, Class of 2007

Christine Gurley races cars. On the track, this Sports Car Club of America veteran driver is in a hurry to cross the finish line. Her off-the-track career, however, has taken a long and winding road to happiness and success. A member of the class of 2007 at FCCJ, she first started classes in 1987.

“I would go to school for a while, get a good job, move up through the ranks within the company and push school to the side. This went on for almost 20 years before I realized that I wasn’t happy,” she said.

What did make her happy was technology, so she decided to put the pedal to the metal in this area of study. “My heart was in working with computers,” Christine said. “In 2006, with my husband’s support, I made the decision to quit work and go back to school full time to finish my degree once and for all.”

Better late than never, she got back in the race at FCCJ. “Here I was, back in school at age 40, almost 20 years after first beginning college. But my mind was made up: I was going to finish my degree, and I was going to graduate with high honors.” She did just that.

“I worked hard for the next year, and in December of 2007, I graduated with a degree in computer engineering, two technical certificates—and high honors. Finally, at 41, I accomplished what I had set out to do so many years before,” she said.

Christine had plenty of inspiration along the way. “My favorite thing about FCCJ was the wonderful instructors I had,” she recounted. “My instructors provided a classroom environment that not only made learning fun but challenged me to become the best student that I could be. I had several great instructors, including Cheryl Schmidt, who helped me see that a woman could not only succeed in a male-dominated field but could excel.”

Today, Christine is working at Nemours, implementing Voice over IP, but she hasn’t crossed the finish line in her education. “My ultimate goal is to pursue my bachelor’s and then master’s degree in hopes of one day returning to others the great experience I gained at FCCJ. I would love to come back and teach at FCCJ. I received what I feel was a great education, but I also gained the self-confidence to help me succeed not only in my job but in life, too.”