‘The Sky is Not The Limit’: Continuing Studies Student Soars at Commencement
When Delorean Andrews enrolled at Widener in 2015, he had no idea that his degree would be over 10 years in the making. A student in the Center for Continuing Studies, Andrews crossed the stage at the May 2026 commencement festivities earning his bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in organizational development and leadership (ODL).
Additionally, Andrews will complete his master’s degree in Widener’s ODL program in December 2026, earning him two degrees in one calendar year.
Andrews’ journey to get here was full of twists and turns. Having relocated to the Philadelphia area from Miami in 2005, he began attending trade school with the intention of becoming a building electrician.
After struggling to find stable employment, Andrews was accepted into a community college program that would change his life’s trajectory.
“I was trying to find a job in the Philadelphia area, and I ended up being hired as a trash man. I did not have transportation, and I did not get there on time, so I was hired and fired in 24 hours,” recalled Andrews. “After that, I was accepted into a 10-week community college training program that made me eligible for an entry-level job at an aviation company.”
Andrews attended a job fair and was hired at Boeing in Philadelphia where he has worked for nearly two decades, moving up in the ranks and honing his expertise as an aircraft instrumentation electrician.
“I started to elevate at work, and I realized that I can only go so far without education. On the aircraft hands-on experience I’m great, but when it comes to management, they prefer you have a degree, so I wanted to break that ceiling of having the experience and now rounding it off with the education to help me reach that next level.”
Life caused Andrews to pause his education over the years but his desire, drive and persistence remained. He enrolled at Widener in the ODL program for the first time in 2015.
“I had seen Widener before, but I didn’t know what opportunities they had. Once I started figuring out that leadership is where I wanted to go, I found the ODL program,” he said.
After a five-year hiatus in his Widener education, Andrews picked up where he left off in the fall of 2024. In addition to the nerves of continuing his education, Andrews also faced a different educational landscape than he was used to.
“I was terrified. Being an older gentleman and working full time, I was intimidated and I didn’t know if I could do it. I was intimidated with online classes,” Andrews said. “But Widener has made my experience obtainable.”
The flexibility of his classes allowed Andrews to continue advancing in his career which, in turn, fueled his desire to finally earn his degree and continue on to a master’s degree.
“I started to really excel academically and was eligible to be placed in the 4+1 master’s degree program,” he shared.
Andrews’ day-to-day involves being hands-on with military aircraft addressing any electrical challenges before they hit the sky, but he had never dreamed of a career in aviation. He was inspired after learning about the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II and, seeing a lack of African American pilots in the aviation industry, Andrews continued to grow his aviation career and even earned his pilot’s license.
“As I grew at work, I also grew in my personal life and then it made me want more from my education,” he said.
Andrews hopes to serve as an inspiration to others, particularly young African American men.
“I didn’t have a mentor growing up to expose me to different things, and exposure is what can really change someone’s trajectory in life,” he said. “Seek out a mentor that will advocate for you behind closed doors. They can expose you to something that's different from what you're used to seeing every day. Find someone who has walked the path you're currently on and learn from their successes and failures.”
His biggest piece of advice for others is to find what motivates them and to take a leap of faith.
“My advice would be to find your why and just do it. Having a reason why can propel you through the difficult times.”
