Cheryl Reinagel, of Kelso, Mo., is the senior administrative assistant for the School of Extended Learning & School of Polytechnic Studies. Although her duties and responsibilities have evolved throughout the years, her work philosophy has remained the same.

As the Crisp Bootheel Education Center (CBEC) of Southeast Missouri State University at Malden celebrates 20 years of existence this year, it is easy to see the positive impact it has had on the area. One area educator has been affiliated with the CBEC for most of those 20 years. This fact makes Larry Speight, full-time English instructor for Southeast, very proud.

Pam Owens credits the Harry L. Crisp Bootheel Education Center (CBEC) on the Southeast Missouri State-Malden campus with making a big difference in her life.

Transferring from college into the “real world” can be an interesting challenge. Searching for the right job with the right fit can be a long process, but Andrew Canter found success quickly as the new business teacher at Farmington High School.

He never dreamed he’d ever be getting a school picture taken for the Bernie High School Cotton Boll yearbook some 26 years after donning a blue graduation gown. But Jeff Rodgers is back at his alma mater as a teacher and coach, and his wife Waynetta is just down the hall.

“Success is helping others be successful,” said Judy Buck, director of Sikeston Area Higher Education Center (SAHEC) in Sikeston, Mo. This is a motto she lives by each day when she walks into her office. Judy says the ability to help students overcome obstacles so they can continue to move forward with their education provides the greatest satisfaction and feeling of success.

Marsha is fulfilling her dreams and goals by being able to impact the community she lives in. “Having the opportunity to earn a University degree in a rural area such as Kennett makes so much difference in so many lives,” Marsha said. “I get to be involved and watch this close up on a daily basis. It is very satisfying at the end of the day!”

Janiece Payne, a Sikeston Area Higher Education Center (SAHEC) student and a new mother, is the picture of dedication. Janiece is so dedicated that, even while she was facing one of the most difficult times of her life, she stayed focused on her goal of completing her education at SAHEC, where she is majoring in mathematics, and ultimately earning her doctoral degree. Currently Janiece, who lives in East Prairie, Mo., is a sophomore at SAHEC.

Amanda Williams is a woman with a quest for knowledge that she has been working toward for quite some time. A teacher at DAEOC/Headstart in Wyatt, Mo. for over 20 years, Williams has been taking classes through Southeast at the Sikeston Area Higher Education Center (SAHEC) for several years, and has not lost her zeal for education.

By day, Donna Speck teaches students at the Sikeston Area Higher Education Center (SAHEC) about the Periodic Table of Elements, chemical bonding and balancing chemical equations. But when she’s not in the classroom, her students are a whole different breed.

Junior DeLay, a political science instructor at the Sikeston Area Higher Education Center (SAHEC), brings real world experience to the classroom. DeLay is currently serving his 23rd year as the Mississippi County Clerk while teaching an introductory political science course at SAHEC.

Tim Sheets’ driving force to furthering his education at Southeast Missouri State University was his desire to drive.

Melanie Bishop lived in Washington, Mo., until 1990, working for a Fortune 500 company. She knew her work offered only lateral movement, with no hope of advancement, but she at least felt assured to have her job. Then, suddenly, everything she relied on was taken away when the company downsized and she had to start anew. The loss of her job, she says, caused her to realize she needed to get the one thing no one could take away from her -- an education.

Amanda Summers, an elementary education major, began her college education the summer of 2004. Her hometown is Poplar Bluff and after relocating a few times with her husband, Brent, she’s back in Poplar Bluff. Even though she has been closer to other institutions, her college of choice is Southeast Missouri State University.

Jackie Cornett of Gideon, Mo., says her experience at the Harry L. Crisp Bootheel Education Center (CBEC) in Malden, Mo., has not only given her a quality education, but may very well have saved her life.

Today as a SAHEC student, Keith Yancy has plans to get a master’s degree in psychology and then become a licensed counselor. He has met the challenge of uncertainty and emerged with great expectations of himself and his future career.

With misty eyes, Bonita Jackson tells how the biggest influence in her life is her father. With only a second-grade education, he has owned a successful business for more than 55 years and provided for his family without assistance. His daughter plans to follow his example and go even further by graduating from college with a major in business administration.