Ral West

I joined one of APU's Degree Completion classes in September of 1992, and five years later I had earned my Bachelor's degree from APU. It took me awhile - I was running our business, Hawaiian Vacations, moving into a new house and coordinating a complete renovation of it, and giving birth to our second child, so I had to juggle classes and CLEP tests and the Senior Project and preparing my portfolio for credit for prior experience around the rest of my life! It was a fabulous experience, though, and I consider receiving my college degree to be one of the greatest accomplishments of my life.

My motivation for going back to college nearly thirty years after dropping out was entirely personal. I did not need a degree for professional advancement. My husband and I already owned a successful business, and I had owned a few businesses of my own along the way too. I did not expect any financial gain from my college degree. What I did expect to gain was a sense of personal satisfaction and pride in completing something I had started so many years before, and felt I needed to finish. I did it just for me, and it felt great!

Part of the fun of attending the Organizational Management classes was being able to take the ideas I was learning in class directly to our business and apply them. We were able to make many improvements in the operation of our business as a result.

Today we have a team of managers who run our business on a day-to-day basis. My husband, John Hardwick, and I are free to pursue other investments and business interests, and over the past several years I have been able to devote a great deal of volunteer time to Pacific Northern Academy, as a Board member. And recently I received the honor of being asked to serve on the Alaska Pacific University Board of Trustees. I hope to use my new position to encourage more and more people to take advantage of the fabulous educational opportunities APU offers, and to encourage more alumni to support their alma mater financially, and through personal involvement.

Beth Helgeson

Beth Helgeson received her M.B.A from Alaska Pacific University in December of 2002. Her Bachelor's degree in Science with a focus in Kinesiology was received from the University of Minnesota in 1993. She works for GlaxoSmithkline Pharmaceuticals as a Senior Pharmaceutical Consultant for the state of Alaska, and is married with a 10 month old son.

Beth is a life long Alaskan who is proud to have been Miss Alaska and represented the state at the Miss America pageant in 1991. She received her bachelor's degree with scholarships from this competition and graduated debt free as a result. Beth still works on the board of the Miss Alaska Scholarship Program as a volunteer to assist with the effort of keeping the program intact for young women that hope to attend school on scholarship, as well as to improve their talent and interview skills. Her focus on volunteerism is a big part of her life: she also works as the Charity Director for the Alaska Pharmaceutical Representative Association, volunteers on the board for the Children's Hospital, and is the Golf Tournament Director for the annual Hospice Golf Tournament.

Beth tells us, that her goal in achieving her Master's Degree from Alaska Pacific University was that it would give her greater perspective on choosing a career path, as well as to educate and increase her learning curve in the world of business. She found that the professors, as well as the class choices, were broad, interesting, and challenging. She was extremely grateful for the flexibility of the class times, as she worked full time while attaining her degree.

Beth is honored to serve on the APU's President's Forum Steering Committee. She has found it a pleasure to meet and be involved with such supportive, involved and philanthropic individuals. In her opinion, APU is a great reason to stay in Alaska to pursue an education, and she plans to continue to be a positive spokesperson for the University regardless of her role!