Jacqueline Ware Exemplifies Tenacity in Pursuing Education

Senior Computer Science Major Overcame Family Responsibilities, Health Issues to Graduate

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Jonathan Saxon, jsaxon@bowiestate.edu, 301-635-8108

(BOWIE, Md.) – There are some people who, no matter what, refuse to be denied in the pursuit of their goals. Jacqueline Ware, a senior computer science major, demonstrated her tenacity by graduating despite juggling family responsibilities and being diagnosed with breast cancer during her time as a student at Bowie State University. She starts a job as a cyber analyst at Northrop Grumman in July. 

For the longest time, Ware had to put off her own professional ambitions due to her family circumstances. A native of Northeast DC, she always wanted to have a career working with computers, but her husband’s military career made it challenging to find the stability needed to pursue a bachelor’s degree full-time.  

After getting married in 2007, Ware traveled to San Diego for one of her husband’s first deployments and soon gave birth to her first child. After a series of deployments that included stops in Quantico, VA, Japan and a return to San Diego they finally settling back in the DC metro area in 2020 during the start of the pandemic. However, even during her travels, Ware was able to complete an associate degree from Central Texas College in 2014 in addition to a dental assistant’s certification program in 2018. 

“It was rough at first,” said Ware, as she reflected on continually putting her career goals and aspirations on hold. “You got to support your family and make sure everybody else is good. Every now and then, I was still able to do things I wanted to do. I made it work.” 

Going back to school finally seemed like a realistic goal once Ware and her family were back in DC. She knew she wanted to focus on computers and, after conducting research on universities with computer science programs, Ware chose to enroll in Bowie State University. She was intrigued by what the program had to offer academically but was most surprised by what came packed in with the program, which included a plethora of internship and professional development opportunities. 

“I like the challenge and learning new things. I’m always open to learning new things,” said Ware, as she described what attracted her to Bowie State’s computer science program. “Once I became part of the program, I learned that it offered so much more than what I read about. It’s been a really great experience, and I’m glad that I picked the computer science program.” 

But in October 2022, her studies almost came to a pause once again, as Ware was diagnosed with breast cancer. 

“When I got that news, it was devastating,” said Ware. “I had to drop a lot of classes.  I had to put a lot of stuff on hold. I had to go through chemotherapy, radiation and do all of this stuff.” 

Ware could have chosen to stop, but she figured she had come too far to consider that option. She chose to keep moving forward. 

“Everybody was like, ‘You need to put everything on hold,’” said Ware. “And I was doing that. But, at the same time, school also kept my mind off things and kept me busy. I dropped to taking two classes instead of four classes. I spent the last year doing chemo and radiation. I finished everything in June, and I picked back up where I left off.” 

Her perseverance would pay off. This past summer, Ware was able to attend the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference, where she networked her way into a job as a cyber analyst at Northrop Grumman, which starts in July 2024. But until then, Ware plans to enjoy a well-earned rest. 

“I’m going to take a huge break.”

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About Bowie State University
Bowie State University (BSU) is an important higher education access portal for qualified persons from diverse academic and socioeconomic backgrounds, seeking a high-quality and affordable public comprehensive university. The university places special emphasis on the science, technology, cybersecurity, teacher education, business and nursing disciplines within the context of a liberal arts education. For more information about BSU, visit bowiestate.edu.