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For Hannah Pence, 91������ and Western 91������ University alumnus, the ability to stay close to home and earn a bachelor's degree was almost too good to be true.

�It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that I could get the same degree at the Elizabethtown campus that I could at a university,� she said.

Pence recently graduated with a bachelor�s degree in elementary education through WKU at . �s partnership with this and other four-year universities allows students to earn bachelor�s degrees in several fields without having to leave the area. Elementary education spoke to Pence because she has fond memories of her teachers, specifically her first-grade teacher.

�She was such a big influence on my life,� Pence said. �I still remember her greeting students at the door to her classroom and teaching me to tell time. I want to make a difference in someone�s life like she did in mine.�

Pence lives in the Stephensburg/Cecilia area and didn�t like the idea of leaving her family to attend college. She chose because, as she put it, she always knew she�d end up there.

�I�m very family focused, and I liked that it was nearby,� she said, adding that �s affordability was another huge draw.

Pence is starting her first year as a kindergarten teacher at North Park Elementary in Radcliff and plans on continuing her education to earn a master�s degree. She credits with helping her get to where she is right now.

�The connection I had with my professors was very important,� she said. �I could talk to them whenever I needed. Plus, staying close to home allowed me to scout out the schools I wanted to work at in the community I wanted to work in.�