Mother and Daughter Set to Receive Degrees Together at Rutgers School of Business

For Immediate Release

CAMDEN --  When Trish Thomas felt the pressure of deadlines related to her studies at Rutgers—Camden, she knew that she could turn to her mother for some understanding and sympathy.

After all, mom was facing the same deadline and exams herself. 

On Thursday, May 22, Rose O’Hanlon and her daughter, Trish Thomas, will receive their bachelor’s degrees during the commencement ceremony for the Rutgers School of Business—Camden.  The mother-and-daughter student team will celebrate the completion of their degrees (O’Hanlon’s in human resource management, Thomas’ in marketing).  They’ll also celebrate their close mother-daughter relationship, which was made even stronger by their shared studies at Rutgers—Camden.

Though they have different learning styles, Thomas and O'Hanlon say they have benefited from studying together and having the opportunity to really understand what the other was going through.  O'Hanlon went back to school part-time at Camden County College when Thomas finished high school.  She later transferred to Rutgers and has devoted the last two years to completing her studies full-time; she also served as editor of the Rutgers-Camden business school’s student newspaper.  

Thomas, the secretary of the student marketing association, was determined to graduate with her mother, so she took summer classes and completed a full load of six courses during her final spring semester in order to finish with O'Hanlon.

The two look forward to a shared graduation party and vacationing at the shore before they devote their full attention to securing jobs in their chosen careers.  O'Hanlon hopes to find a human resources job with a large corporation.  Thomas, who has a wide range of interests related to her major -- "it's all fun to me," she says happily -- is leaning toward advertising.

Both are residents of Mount Royal.  O’Hanlon also has a son, Danny, who lives in Washington, DC, and is pursuing an MBA degree.

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