After 30 Years Building a Career, Baltimore Native and HR Leader Earns UMGC Degree

Lane began her degree program in 2015 and will be the first in her extended family to graduate from college.

"I have a great career, but I realized I wanted to complete my degree for me. It was important, regardless of whether it accelerates my career or not," Lane said. "It was a great opportunity to continue to learn and to improve in different skills and competencies that helped me in my journey of professional development."

One of the biggest challenges Lane faced as an adult learner was learning how to juggle her day job and schoolwork. Thanks to UMGC's flexibility and robust education platform, she figured out how to discipline herself to stay the course.

In 2023, she enrolled in the Professional and Career Exploration (PACE) course for transfer students.

"Erika Lane was a dedicated and thoughtful student in my fall 2023 PACE 111B course. I asked her to lead the group project, and she did an excellent job-creating a clear team charter and using an Excel random generator to assign tasks," said Constance Harris, a UMGC adjunct professor. "I enjoyed working with Erika and appreciated her strong leadership and engagement throughout the course."

"She was amazing and motivating," Lane said of Harris. "Not only was the content helpful, but so was the lesson in working and collaborating in teams, especially when you don't know each other. It challenges your courage to lead and strengthens your muscle as an inclusive leader."

While pursuing her degree, Lane had the opportunity to work on other group projects beyond PACE.

"It gave you a little more of that classroom feel, and it does assert some level of collaboration," Lane explained. "You have to actually take things offline, calendarize with each other and take some ownership in executing the deliverables and figuring out who's going to own what to get the project across the finish line."

In Lane's global human resources management course, she worked with a group to put together a presentation on talent recruitment and acquisition. Lane credits the use of Zoom, strong communication skills and team participation as the key to a successful presentation.

"What I liked about it logistically was just the idea of us having to see it all the way through to the goal post in a hugely collaborative fashion, and we all had pieces that we owned in that space," Lane said. "It helps you understand how to hold yourself accountable but also how to hold others accountable."

Lane added, "And as a leader in an organization as big as American Airlines, that's a skill set that's important for me to have."

Lane said she gained valuable professional skills at work and in the classroom. Thanks to the support of American Airlines and past employers Wawa and Ikea, she has reached the finish line. Lane plans to explore additional advanced education opportunities this summer and maybe start a master's program in the near future.

"Give yourself some grace but remain disciplined and stay on course. There is no age limit to success," Lane tells future and current students. "Whatever your motivators are to make it happen, you just make it happen."

A number of Lane's children, a few grandchildren, extended family members and friends will attend her Grad Walk in Maryland to cheer her on. She is flying many of her children in; unfortunately, one of her daughters living in Africa will not be able to attend graduation. Lane refers to her kids as "the Magnificent Seven" and "House of Dragons," due to their love of the TV series Game of Thrones. A dragon happens to be Lane's Chinese zodiac sign too.

"My kids will tell you to this day, they still remember some of my little 'isms' I used to always tell them, like 'Opportunity doesn't really knock on the door,'" Lane said. "In all of their own ways, they are applying that, and I'm super proud of them for that."