Christine Robertson and Michelle Andres, friends since seventh grade, took different paths to achieve a common goal Tuesday night: graduation from Butler County Community College.

Adult learners were common among BC3’s Class of 2012 at Tuesday’s ceremony, but adult students who made the journey together were much rarer.

“You can’t find many people that you agree on so much with. Except (Andres) drinks Pepsi and I drink Coke,” Robertson said.

Both women describe themselves as strongwilled and opinionated, but don’t butt heads.

They attended Butler High School together, participating in Students Against Drunk Driving and attending the vocational technical school together for hospitality management as well as getting suspended together for not wanting to don their uniforms.

“I think we have a lot of the same personality traits,” Andres said.

Both women graduated from Butler in 1990, but could not attend each other’s graduation parties, since they scheduled them for the same day.

“That’s where our paths diverged,” Andres said.

Robertson moved to Greenville, S.C., where she stayed for the next 14 years. She married in 1991 and has two children from that marriage: Madeline, 16, and Taylor, 20 and a sophomore at Greenville Technical College.

Andres stayed in Butler and graduated from BC3 in 1994 with an associate degree in office administration. She married in 1997 and had a son, Craig, 12, and a daughter, Logan Sue, 10.

“We talked, probably every week. My phone bill was outrageous,” Robertson said.

The pair, who at one time even considered joining the U.S. Air Force together, also communicated through letters, cards, visits and, eventually, e-mail.

Fork in the road

During her time in South Carolina, Robertson worked for CVS as a pharmacy technician and shift supervisor and for Ryan’s Restaurant Group as a payroll specialist.

Following a divorce, Robertson moved back to Butler in 2004 working different jobs around the area. Instability in those jobs prompted her to attend BC3.

“In December 2008, I was laid off for the third time in less than 18 months,” she said.

“I had always been OK with jobs without a college degree. It just seemed that, without one, I was always going to be a layoff casualty.”

Andres graduated from BC3, the first time, in 1994 and continued working at Arby’s restaurant, not leaving until she had been there 13 years.

“It was nice because they worked around my schedule and I worked there so long that I had weekends off,” she said.

“I was doing what teenagers do, dating and partying. I’m glad I went that route. I was still young and wanted to hang out with my friends and have a good time.”

Andres was a stay-at-home mother for 10 years after leaving her restaurant job, but soon got the employment itch again.

“When I was coming back into the work force, I could not find a job, ” she said.

Andres found work at a warehouse, but felt she was letting her education go to waste

“I lost that job five days before Christmas (in 2010). It was kind of a blessing in disguise, though. I knew that I was not going to just sit at home and collect unemployment.”

A fresh start

Both women turned to BC3’s New Choices, New Options program, designed to help single women gain access to skills and enter the work force.

The program offered guidance on skills like resume writing, goal creation and personal presentation, as well as allowing students to shadow professionals.

Robertson and Andres said their classmates included everyone from construction workers to former executives.

“It was a mixed bag of people,” Robertson said. said

“It gave you the backbone to know where to start,” Andres added.

Robertson started the program in January 2009 and was immediately encouraged by BC3’s on-campus resources.

“I was a little nervous because it was a new situation. I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to college,” she said.

“I went through the college’s transitions program, too. It really opened my eyes. It was almost like having a good friend on the inside at the college, telling you where to go.”

Robertson also enjoyed the social challenges of making new friends and working with students half her age on academics, perhaps doing a little teaching herself.

“You come in with some life experiences they don’t have,” she said.

Andres returned to BC3 in January 2011 with the support of her husband, a mason, and with a goal that accentuated her strengths, focused on business administration or human resources.

“I never thought I would return to school, and I wasn’t even that great a student my first time here,” Andres said.

“Now, I’m coming back on my dollar. I need it and want it a lot more.”

Andres proved her point by earning dean’s list honors.

Both women also did work study on campus. Robertson continues to work part-time with the adult literacy program, and Andres interned for one year with the BC3 finance office, in addition to completing an externship with Brayman Construction.

Back to work

Robertson started her collegiate career with a beginner’s computer class, then a math class to add to her skill set.

“I decided on the medical field because it seemed the most stable,” she said.

Completing her credits in December, Robertson earned an associate degree in office administration with a specialization in medical coding.

“I’m not opposed to continuing my education to do legal office administration,” she said.

However, Robertson has worked at Hunter Truck Sales as an administrative assistant for the past three months and has no immediate plans to leave.

“It’s a very good company to work for,” she said.

Andres took summer classes last year and will complete her associate degree in human resources this summer.

Because BC3 has only one graduation ceremony each year, the lifelong friends, who shared no common classes, got to walk together as they received their degrees.

The ceremony Tuesday night was only the start of another journey for Andres, though.

“I’ve decided I’m going for my bachelor’s degree in human resources at Geneva College,” she said.

Andres also started work as a credit associate with ALLY Financial on Monday.

“I just want to find a job that makes me happy,” she said.

For the two strong-willed women who worked hard to achieve their educational dreams only one question remains:

Will they schedule separate graduation parties on the same day again?

“I haven’t thought about it yet,” Robertson said.