Õ¬ÄÐƵµÀ

A year and a half after his wife’s passing, David Wallace ’25 walked across the Õ¬ÄÐƵµÀ (SNHU) Commencement stage, carrying both her memory and his diploma.

“I was married for nine wonderful years, and my wife… encouraged me to go to school and finish my degree,” he said. “She always thought it would be important for me.”

Wallace, who traveled from California, said the Commencement experience felt surreal — different from what he’d imagined. “I always hoped that she’d be there, but I know she can’t,” he said. “Now, this is one of those things where I’m just doing what I know she would want. It’s a great thing. She was a great woman.”

Balancing Life and Learning

Finding a program that fit his busy schedule was one of Wallace's top priorities when choosing a college to earn his bachelor’s in business administration. "I work a full-time job, and my wife was really sick for a long time," he said. "I had to take her to places like dialysis appointments, so I needed the flexibility to get things done when I could — not just when I was supposed to, if that makes sense.”

Wallace said it was also important for him to find a program that would push him academically. “I’d like to think of myself as somewhat intelligent, and SNHU challenged me in a lot of ways,” he said. “I thought it was as rigorous as any college I’ve been to, and I was enrolled in college many years ago, and just never finished."

For Wallace, this was all part of the reward.

“Being challenged means that you can rise to meet those challenges, and especially if you’re starting a little later in life,” he said. “The best reason for me to (complete my degree) was that I felt an improvement in me.”

Support Through Loss

Through all the ups and downs along the way, Wallace said he felt supported in his program, especially by his academic advisor, Sharon Parks. He said he often called her when he was facing personal challenges that affected his coursework.

When his wife passed during the middle of his classes, Wallace took two terms off to give himself time to grieve and reconsider his goals.

“I had to really dig deep and figure out, do I even want to do this? My reason for coming wasn’t the same anymore,” he said.

According to Wallace, Parks made the decision to return easier for him. “She’s really compassionate and thoughtful and just so sweet," he said.

A Promise Kept

At Commencement, Wallace thought back on everything — and everyone — it took to reach the milestone moment.

"A day like today makes you think about the people that you love and care about and that love and care about you, and encouraged you and got you started," Wallace said. "And I would like to think that many years down the line, wherever, whenever that might be, that when I see (my wife) again, that she'll know I did things for her — even today."

Now, with his bachelor's behind him, Wallace is looking ahead. He’s already begun SNHU’s Master of Business Administration (MBA) program with concentrations in marketing and entrepreneurship, another step on the path his wife helped inspire.

“I look forward to seeing what I can do with a master's,” he said.

Rebecca Cahill '26 is a content marketing assistant and writer at Õ¬ÄÐƵµÀ (SNHU), where she recently completed her bachelor’s in creative writing and English and is now pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Based in Ohio, she also writes for FreshWater Cleveland and serves on the board of Literary Cleveland. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her with a good book, dogs at her side, and surrounded by way too many houseplants. Connect with her on .