After decades spent rising through the ranks of New York City’s publishing industry, Inju Keum dreamed of change. She craved a new career, a new community, and a new perspective but wasn’t sure how or where to find them. Without a college degree, Keum felt stuck.
But thanks to the Bard Baccalaureate scholarship for adult learners, known as BardBac, students like Keum have been able to chase their dreams at Bard College without paying a dime of tuition. Now heading into its fifth year, the program has so far graduated 24 adult students and is currently helping about 70 others finish their undergraduate degrees.
Keum is one of them. “Before, I was in more of a survival mode,” she said. But now, as she works to finish her bachelor’s degree, her perspective has shifted. “Now, I’m in a thriving mode.”
