Michael Cole is your "typical atypical" Lane student. He's married and has two daughters, and between Michael and his wife, they have 11 grandchildren. He has worked a multitude of jobs while chugging along as a full-time student at the LCC Florence Center in the fall of 2012, including stints at Three Rivers Casino, Yellow Cab Taxi in Coos Bay, Little Caesar's, Abby's and Pizza Ray's. He worked at the Florence Center as a LETS student for six terms, too. And he's also owned a home business for the past three years, Angelbytes Computer Repair, that—like Michael himself—is in transition, destined to be rebirthed as Angelbytes Web Design.

You might not be surprised to learn that Michael's end goal is to work in network security for a large firm in Portland or Seattle. "Network security is a much-needed field for now and the future," he notes. "I think the opportunities will be great." He graduates from Lane with an impressive 3.53 GPA, and he feels well-prepared to finish his studies in computer science at the University of Oregon. "I'll be driving back and forth from Florence, but I am thrilled to be going to U of O. All I need is 71 credits to complete my bachelor's. Then I'm off!"

Michael expects quite a contingent of support at commencement: "My wife is coming, of course. I'm so thankful to her for her support and encouragement in going back to school to obtain my dream job. Also, my Dad and his wife are coming from Washington, my sister and her husband are coming up from California, my aunt from Creswell, and I'm hoping my daughters can make it."

Congratulations and good luck to Michael!