Giovanna Grantham, an IT consultant and student at Thomas Edison State University (TESU) is one of two students selected as the American Council on Education’s (ACE) 2021 Students of the Year.
Grantham expects to graduate later this year from TESU with a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal studies and an associate of natural science and mathematics in computer science. She also will earn an associate of applied science in information systems from Pierpont Community & Technical College in West Virginia.
“We are honored that ACE chose a Thomas Edison student and so very proud of Giovanna and her accomplishments as she completes her journey to a degree,” said Dr. Merodie A. Hancock, president of Thomas Edison State University, which is headquartered in New Jersey. “At TESU, recognizing learning that occurs outside the classroom is the cornerstone of our mission to help adult learners. We strive to assist students like Giovanna to apply their past experiences to accelerate their path to a degree and, because of that, students earned more than 1 million credits for learning outside of the classroom in the last five years.” 
Giovanna Grantham
The ACE Student of the Year Award is presented annually by ACE to two individuals who have benefited. Recipients must demonstrate outstanding achievements in their community or workplace while successfully balancing the demands of family, career and education. The names of the winners were announced today during the closing plenary session at ACE2022, ACE’s annual meeting in San Diego.
In addition to Grantham, Casey Dunn, a U.S. Army staff sergeant and cadet, who is an active-duty soldier and student at Colorado State University (CSU), was selected. Both recipients will receive a $1,000 scholarship to help fund their education.
Born in Guatemala, Grantham moved with her family to the United Stated when she was seven. Financially, college was out of reach for her after high school, but she became certified in graphic design and worked for five years as a digital media producer with Prison Fellowship, bringing hope and restoration to prisoners, families and communities impacted by crime and incarceration, all while serving as a pro bono Spanish language translator in her community. Despite her career growth, she felt stuck and still wanted to pursue a postsecondary education.
