Geneva Sinor says she  felt like a failure when she first found out she no longer had a job at Mar-Bax Shirt Factory in Gassville.  The place she had worked for 32 years let her know that she and 75 workers were without a job and any remaining work would be outsourced overseas.  
Sinor and three friends used the Governor’s Dislocated Work Task Force to help them apply for federal programs if they would return to school.  It sounded like a good plan to the 64 year old Sinor who had always wanted to attend college, but other things in life got in the way.  Her family supported her decision and she graduated recently with a 4.0 grade point average in Business Technology.  Sinor is glad she didn’t decide to retire when the news of the factory closing came.  Last year, she received the award for Academic Achievement in Business Management. 

Despite being older that the typical college student, Sinor says that ASUMH always felt like home.  “Younger students and professors were always helpful, encouraging, and interested in other students,” said Sinor.  She plans to participate in the Commencement ceremony in May and celebrate her accomplishment with one other lady from the shirt factory who also has a 4.0.  She is still seeking employment, but plans to spend her time volunteering and doing some substitute teaching.  “I will never regret coming to ASUMH,” Sinor said.  “Rather than give up, there are a lot of things you can make happen in life.”