Every time Lindsay Clare (BEd ’20) came across a job posting that required an education degree, she would forward it to her husband.

At the time, Matt Clare (BA ’03, MEd ’21), Interim Director, Technology Enabled Learning for Brock University’s Centre for Pedagogical Innovation, was enrolled as a part-time student in Brock’s Master of Education (MEd) program, so Lindsay would send him opportunities from the company she worked for.

Matt would always turn them down, saying he was happy at Brock and not interested in working for a large private company.

After several declines from Matt, Linsday questioned her motives and started to look inward.

“I thought to myself, ‘why do I keep passing on these good jobs to Matt when I could be applying for them myself?’” she said.

A key component was missing from her qualifications: although she had a bachelor’s degree, it wasn’t in education.

Lindsay then discovered Brock’s Bachelor of Education in Adult Education (BEd ADED) program, which would allow her to complete a second degree from a distance, completely online from her home in Burlington. Plus, as the spouse of a Brock employee, she could benefit from the University’s tuition assistance program.

She enrolled in the BEd ADED and joined Matt as a part-time Brock student. Each worked on their respective degrees while balancing full-time jobs and being parents to their two young children.

“With kids, it’s about juggling your schedule,” she said. “I would do some learning at lunch and after dinner once the kids went to bed. It was hard, but it was definitely worth it in the end.”

Lindsay completed her BEd ADED in 2020 and Matt completed his MEd in 2021, with both graduating as part of the University’s virtual Convocation ceremonies. Although each occasion was individually celebrated, they were unable to experience the pomp and circumstance of Brock’s on-campus Convocation ceremonies — until Thursday.

Lindsay and Matt were among 1,600 alumni participating in Brock’s legacy Convocation celebrations this week. As they crossed the stage, their children and parents cheered from their seats.

“I’m proud to show our children how important education is, for us and for them as well,” said Lindsay. “Lifelong learning is so important for careers right now because skills are changing so quickly, so you need to be able to adapt and grow and learn new things.”

Since completing an education degree, Lindsay has been keeping the job postings to herself. Earlier this year, she was hired within her company in a new role focusing on learning and development.