By Anna King
Velocity Contributor
Across the globe City University of Seattle alumni take their careers to the next level, duck-and-dodge difficult economic times and find new self-confidence through knowledge. As a school, CityU of Seattle has assisted people for 35 years in overcoming challenges and achieving milestones with education.
Velocity recently tracked down three alumni with extremely different careers, lifestyles and aspirations. We learned what binds these unique people are their successes since obtaining CityU degrees. We’re excited to share their individual stories.
Ensign to commander: U.S. Navy career with CityU at the helm
To fight homesickness at sea, Cathy Masar — U.S. Navy Ensign turned Commander —watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Buffy videos were just some of the goodies included in Masar’s care packages from her sisters.
Cathy Masar
“They (also) would pack stickers or something that would smell nice and things that were colorful unlike the grey ship,” says Masar, 42.
Masar’s family guided through the lonesome times in the Navy but she eventually climbed in rank with her CityU Master of Business Administration degree. Once a Seattle-based entrance testing clerk, Masar now is in line to command a Navy testing center in Boston.
“I was an ensign now I am a commander which is five levels above that. And hopefully I will make the next promotion,” she says.
Masar attended CityU’s campuses throughout the Puget Sound and completed a large part of her degree at night. The Navy also paid for 75 percent of her MBA.
“I liked going to classes with other business professionals that were not in my line of work. Everyone had a day job and different experiences to share,” says Masar who graduated in 1992.
Now the new commander works for a think tank feeding top research and information to the U.S. Navy Senior Admiral in Alexandria, Va. Her budding career and relevant education also has allowed her to travel to places like Eastern Europe, Italy and many states throughout America.
Most importantly, Masar says she’s close to her family despite the distances that separate them. She’s the proud aunt of five nieces and nephews and regularly returns to the Northwest to visit them.
“The things that they have done to support me as a military member just chokes me up,” she says. “I’m proud of my accomplishments in the Navy and I am looking forward to my next adventure in Boston.”
Linda Dauer’s work e-mail inbox is pretty barren these days.
Linda Dauer
A lifelong learner with CityU
”Today was the first day of school. I was used to having 30 e-mails already at 5 a.m. This morning I had two. It was a little bit of shock to my system,” says Dauer, 30.
Once an assistant principle for a Seattle-area elementary school, Dauer’s position was cut along with other Lake Washington School District administrative roles due to budget constraints. Dauer’s workload changed but she’s not out of a job. She managed to quickly land a new teaching position for mildly disabled children in the same district.
A third generation educator, Dauer credits her CityU education with helping her bounce back in a down economy. She says she remains flexible and competitive because of her CityU Master of Education degree with a technology emphasis and administrator certification from the Educational Leadership graduate program.
“Of course that’s my passion to be an educational leader. That’s what I went to school for. But teaching is what I love to do. This is the foundation of what a principal is trying to instill in their employees,” she says.
CityU’s programs fit into Dauer’s life as a working professional. She needed online class options, especially since she began her program while living in New York.
“(My program) wasn’t overwhelming but it taught us what we needed to know,” says Dauer who relocated to the Puget Sound. “I was looking for a program that was reputable and that was online. There were a few different university programs to choose from but CityU had the best reputation.”
CityU’s courses continue to push Dauer to bring new ideas and perspectives to her classroom.
“I want to do a good job for my students,” she says. “The more I know, the more I can reach each individual student in my classroom.”
Mark LaCross
Newfound confidence with CityU’s guidance
Mark LaCross always felt a bit lacking around his older brothers and sisters - all professionals with college degrees and challenging careers.
Although LaCross moved up the ladder at Hewlett-Packard from a computer factory quality-tester to a coveted managerial role, he still didn’t have an undergraduate degree.
In the late 90s, LaCross finally decided to get his CityU online degree. The university’s online program fit his busy traveling schedule perfectly as he never had to step foot on campus.
“I didn’t want to have to be confined. I knew what had to be done, but I didn’t have to do it at Monday at 5 p.m. CityU provided with me with that,” he says.
Now 48, LaCross’ CityU degree continues to help him at Hewlett-Packard - his professional home for the past 25 years - but also in his personal life. CityU inspired him to seek out additional degrees and certificates as well as lifelong learning opportunities.
“Going through the [CityU] program gave me the confidence to engage in whatever the party topic that was going: the stock market, companies and the economy in general,” says LaCross, who hopes to learn Spanish.
Yet, the real gift of his CityU experience is the freedom to plan for retirement with his wife and send his only daughter Nikki to college.
“Because I was going to school in my daughter’s early years she saw me doing homework and writing papers,” he says. “I instilled in my daughter the importance of getting a good education. I would have liked to finish school earlier in life but there were benefits for doing it later in life as well.”