Past loss and grief played role in her decision to go back to school
Cathy Payne of Orlando, Fla., came to Harvard Extension School as a way to honor people she had lost. The advanced-placement art history teacher, who teaches in a Winter Park, Fla., high school, holds a bachelor’s degree in art history from the University of Florida. At Harvard she earned a master’s of liberal arts, museum studies. Q&A Cathy Payne Harvard extension: Why did you decide to earn a degree at Harvard Extension School? Payne: I decided to earn a degree at Harvard Extension School to honor the memories of loved ones. After losing several people in a short period of time, I felt inspired to live my life in a more robust manner as a way to acknowledge their battles to survive and to, in some way, extend their lives through my own. Before Harvard Extension, I’d tackled goals that helped me to work through my grief — running a marathon and earning a pilot’s license —...