TheDegrees

English Nursing Student Aims To Boost Mental Health on Campus

2011-08-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

BBC News published an article today about Tayaba Nicholson, who won the "Student of the Year 2011" award from the National Union of Students.

Nicholson was studying nursing at the University of Manchester. Alarmed by the prevalence of student suicide, she decided to take action.

With financial assistance from the charity group Papyrus, she founded the group "Mental Health Matters" during her second year of study.

The group worked to spread awareness about mental health issues, and strengthen the school's mental health support network.

Kudos, Ms.Nicholson! It was an excellent supplement to her coursework, and she did a world of good for the rest of her student body.

--Brandon

Bid on Bieber and Bill Clinton for MusiCares

2011-08-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

RTTNews reports that MusiCare's "back to school" Charity Auction is getting assistance from a number of celebrities.

Auctioneers will bid for meet-and-greets with, or autographed memorabilia from, Justin Bieber, Bill Clinton, Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Sugarland, Smokey Robinson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ke$ha, Blake Shelton, Lady Antebellum, and a host of others.

MusiCares is an organization founded by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences that provides emergency resources for struggling musicians.

— Brandon

Bill Gates: Fight Poverty With Education

2011-07-29T12:10:00.000-07:00

The Associated Press reports that Microsoft founder Bill Gates spoke before the National Urban League on Thursday, and advocated for citizens in poor communities seeking education.

"...Let's end the myth that we have to solve poverty before we improve education," Gates said. "I say it's more the other way around: Improving education is the best way to solve poverty."

Gates conceded that while he doesn't "understand in a personal way" the challenges presented by poverty, and that is "a terrible obstacle," we "can't let it be an excuse" to not pursue a quality education.

Poignant words at a pertinent time.

While there will always be obstacles to overcome, remember what Albert Einstein once said: "In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."

Education is a means of transforming your life, and transcending the limitations of what you were born into.

A quality education, and whatever means you use to measure it -- a diploma, elbow patches on the jacket, whatever -- doesn't speak to anyone's inherent value as a human being. A person without a degree isn't any less of person, they're just going to have more obstacles obstructing their path to the life they've always wanted.

There is always a point of entry into all of this. I'm thrilled for my part to be doing what I do through my work with TheDegrees to help degree seekers find the programs that best fit in with their busy and demanding lives.