Sandy Cleveland walked across the stage at Thomas More University's hooding ceremony in May 2026 with a new MBA in hand. She is 78 years old, a first-generation college student, and the degree is her third from the Crestview Hills campus.

Cleveland earned an associate degree from Thomas More in 2021, a bachelor's degree in 2024, and completed her MBA coursework in 2025 before the degree was conferred in May. She told university staff in a June 9 interview that her path to higher education started decades ago at Northern Kentucky University, where she studied accounting for two years before pausing to care for an ill son.

"My higher education journey began at Northern Kentucky University where I studied accounting for two years," Cleveland said in the interview. "Then our pediatrician recommended that I postpone school to care for our son who was ill at the time."

After leaving NKU, Cleveland and her husband started a commercial general contracting company. She gained industry experience but did not return to school. Years later, while working for the City of Edgewood, the city administrator inspired her to go back. Cleveland did not name the administrator in the interview.

She chose Thomas More for its mix of traditional and online classes, its proximity to her home and workplace, and its private, Catholic educational environment.

Kelsey Wicher, executive director of graduate enrollment and advising at Thomas More, served as Cleveland's advisor during her MBA program. Wicher said she felt "honored to work with Sandy throughout her academic/educational journey" and called Cleveland's passion for learning "a great example of the lifelong pursuit of knowledge we seek to foster in all of our students."

Thomas More President Joseph L. Chillo, himself a first-generation college student, participated in Cleveland's hooding ceremony, according to a photo published with the university profile.

Cleveland told the university she is considering a doctoral degree but has not identified a program or start date.