Carolyn Biggio, a senior art history major, is anything but a traditional student. Biggio graduated from Southeastern in 1980 with a degree in Medical Technology. After graduating, she married fellow Southeastern alumni, Thomas Biggio, and adopted their son, John, in 1988. Since then, she has worked in hospitals, but her true passion has always been art. Now at age 54, Biggio returned to Southeastern a few short years ago to pursue her second degree.

While living outside Thibodaux, La., Biggio began taking art lessons with Henry Hensche, who taught workshops at Studio One. She said that it was not until later that she found out he was known in the art world for his “colorist” paintings, which advanced ideas of impressionism.

“I decided a few years ago, when my son started college,” said Biggio about coming back to school. “I was like, ‘I wish I had the chance to take all these classes in design and painting and drawing’ because all along I’ve been painting and drawing.”

So after years of art being just a hobby, Biggio came back to Southeastern to study it and develop the painting and drawing skills she already possessed.

“I’ve had a little success selling paintings,” said Biggio. “I’ve been in some galleries. The art world as a business I’m not crazy about, but I wanted to come back and see what I could do in taking some real structured art classes because I’ve never had a real drawing class like where they teach at the university.”

Biggio returned to the university in the fall of 2007 to study visual art. After taking a few art history courses with Dr. Irene Nero that are required for art majors, Biggio decided to focus her major in Art History instead.

 “I just loved the art history part of it,” said Biggio. “So I got all involved in studying about certain artists, especially that first artist [Hensche] I studied with, and it’s kind of progressed to where I’m really interested in the history part of art.”

Now nearing the end of her degree program, Biggio has begun to think about what she will do next.

“I figured out that you really have to get a Masters to do anything in the field,” said Biggio. “I’m still kind of open to what I’m going to do about that. I am going to go through applying [for grad school], but I am limited a little bit because I am married. I have a family. I actually still work in a hospital. That’s going to be a big choice coming up. It’s still kind of a question, ‘what am I going to do with this?'”

Biggio would like to do research work with someone else in the art history field or work with an art museum one day.

Until graduation, however, Biggio continues to balance classes, work and family.

Biggio lives in Covington with her husband and commutes to Southeastern every day for classes. She also works a full time job at Lakeview Regional Medical Center in Covington, where she works seven consecutive evening shifts and then is off the following seven days.

“I work ten hours, so I’ll work 1:30 to midnight, and then if I have class the next day I have to get up early and go to classes,” said Biggio of her schedule. “It has been hard sometimes. The opposite week I’m off the whole week so that kind of makes up for it. It is difficult. I have to find time to study for everything at one time. First time I hear I have to write an essay, I start on it immediately. I can’t procrastinate, can’t wait until the last minute. Family-wise, it’s not as hard for me as other people that have small children to work and balance that. My child is grown, so I don’t have that issue. It’s mostly just balancing work and keeping up with the house. Fortunately, my husband and I work together on that. But it is difficult when you’re trying to work and go to school, as many young people know. It’s been hard, but it’s worth it.”

Biggio’s son John graduated from Louisiana Tech last year with a degree in graphic design.

When asked how she feels about taking classes with students fresh out of high school, Biggio said that she cannot tell what those students think of having an older person in their classes.

“I have found that these students are very welcoming,” said Biggio. “Nobody’s ever been like, ‘oh, look at the old lady here.’ They may think that, but they don’t show it. I just think this is a great generation of kids in all the classes.”

“I thought it was going to be hard, and sometimes I feel like I’m the old lady in the class, but most of the time I feel like the age thing hasn’t been a problem,” says Biggio.

Biggio thinks that it is never too late for anyone to go to school and study something that they enjoy. She says that it is important to keep learning and keep active in life.

“I think people should keep trying to find what they want to do,” said Biggio. “Just because your 50 years old doesn’t mean you can’t try to find out what you want to do with the rest of your life. You don’t have to say, ‘I should have made that choice twenty years ago’ because at the very least, if I get through this and don’t do anything else, I have learned so much. I mean I can’t believe I had to take four semesters of French. The things I have learned have made it worthwhile, whether I change my actual career in life or not. It’s changed me.”