“I floated in and out of college for 10 years, chipping away at credits here and there,” reflects Cleary graduate Derek Hillman. While working for the Detroit Fire Department, Hillman struggled to find the right path, structure and connection with the schools he attended. “I couldn’t stay on track, and I had limited support from the schools where I was enrolled. It was too easy to lose focus.”
Despite his desire to return to school, the demands of raising a family and working full-time with the fire department left little room for education. “I always wanted to go back to school, but my responsibilities made it difficult to find the time,” the 2nd Deputy Commissioner finds.
Hillman first learned about Cleary University through his job. “It was convenient, accessible and affordable.” He was skeptical at first but decided to give it a try. “My advisor put my mind at ease right away. I knew I had made the right choice.”
With renewed focus and determination, Hillman completed his bachelor’s degree in just one year. Encouraged by his success, he enrolled in the school’s master’s degree program and finished it within a year as well. His academic achievements at Cleary inspired him to pursue further education, and he is now completing his first year in a PhD program.
“Through discipline and time management, I was able to dedicate time for my studies,” he notes. “I found the coursework directly applicable to my job. Many times, the classes resonated with me because the same information I was learning reflected situations I had been in before,” he points out. “It made the material more relevant to my work.
“My education at Cleary has strengthened my professional practices,” Hillman finds. “What I have learned, I can implement into best practices; it reinforces and validates my work.”
Earning his degree had always been a personal goal for Hillman, but completing it was “the true challenge,” he says. “Getting an education was important to me, but finding a way to get it done was the hardest part,” he admits.
When talking with colleagues who are hesitant about balancing work, family and school, Hillman offers some simple advice: “Just start. Take one class at a time and celebrate the little wins. Every class is a win. At the end, you’ll have a big win.”
At a Cleary alumni reunion last summer, Hillman addressed a crowd of Detroit police officers and firefighters, highlighting the value of the partnership between Cleary and Detroit’s first responders. “It’s about building new relationships. And that is what we all need.”
