No matter what the challenges were in school, Highline student Mary Bickford stayed on top of all of them.

Bickford will be graduating from Highline this spring with an AAS in administrative management, then will go on to major in human services.

She is a mother and grandmother and still has found time to spend it with her family. 

“Finding the time to get my work done on time with working full time and being a full-time mom,” Bickford said.

Before coming to study at Highline, Bickford said she received her GED at a local community college and then worked in retail for over 20 years. 

“I worked in retail for 25 years. Before that, I got my GED at GRCC because I was unable to finish high school,” she said.

Bickford said she was just a regular high school student wanting to get to know others and make friends. 

“In high school I was an average student because I was more focused on the social aspect of school,” she said. 

Furthermore, she has been a student and employee here at Highline working towards getting her degree in Human Services.

“I will be working toward my Human Services Degree and hopefully be moving up within the college,” she said. “The environment is so great here, I would like to remain here as long as I can.” 

Overall, Bickford said her favorite part about Highline stems from the environment, to the professors, and even the wide diversity that it brings.