Casey Norton has completed a program in each of Shippensburg University’s three colleges. Most recently, she completed the Counseling, College Student Personnel Concentration, M.S. program in May 2020. She is also a 2017 graduate of the Human Communication Studies, B.A. program. To complement her bachelor’s degree, Norton completed the Business Minor.

“As a previous graduate of Shippensburg, I knew that I would have a family to come back to and a solid network,” Norton said. “Once I found out about the university’s program for someone seeking a career in higher education, I was sold on the idea of coming back for my master’s.”

Overall, Ship was familiar ground. Still, a new experience meant new mentors in the Counseling and College Student Personnel Department and new environments through field hours.

“This is something that really helped me get involved in multiple areas of campus, which I can now apply to many different job positions. Additionally, the course instruction was phenomenal. I gained so much from each course. I love the discussion-based setup and will forever miss sitting in a circle with my peers. Most importantly, I learned a lot about myself and how I can find support from my peers and mentors,” Norton said.

Norton also stayed plenty busy outside the classroom during her time as a Ship student. She is one of seven Ship women’s track and field/cross country athletes in history to earn Academic All-America ™ honors. While in her master’s program, she became a volunteer assistant coach for the same programs. She was also an intern and graduate assistant for the orientation program, an intern in the Raiders Academic Center, an academic coach and intern in the Athletics Department, and a graduate assistant in the Admissions Office. Another standout experience was the opportunity to don the Big Red suit multiple times.

“I have lifelong friends and mentors. I have considered Ship family for a long time, but my graduate experience really put the cherry on top of six years as a Raider. Everyone in this program, the many student affairs professionals and the students I regularly worked with on campus filled my journey with support, challenge and fun.”

Read more stories from the Class of 2020.