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Student Commencement Speaker

Scholar Finds a New Direction

by Kelly Cox

Hilda Hynes with President

President Dr. Karen A. Stout and Student Speaker Hilda Hynes.

Photo by Sandi Yanisko   

When Hilda Hynes of Barto was 14 years old, she did a psychic’s laundry for a free tarot card reading.

“I was not a kid that loved school, but I did love to write,” Hynes confessed. “The psychic told me I would write one day and I thought sure, okay. She was right!”

And yet the process of fulfilling her foretold destiny has not always been an easy path for Hynes. She has had a difficult, incredible, and inspiring journey to become a student who has flourished in her studies and in campus involvement.

“When I came to Montgomery County Community College, I was a non-traditional student. Married at the age of 16, I had spent 12 years homemaking and raising children. When my husband took his life in 2008, he left me to raise three children, ages 11, six and two,” Hynes confided. “I had no education and my life had been rocked to its very foundation.”

Moving back to Montgomery County from Florida to raise her children in February of 2010, Hynes found that starting over involved a certain amount of faith in the presence of uncertainty as she prepared to begin classes that fall.

“I moved home from Florida to raise my kids in an environment and community I felt would help me raise strong, self-sufficient adults,” Hynes said. “As I walked through the doors of the West Campus at 30 years old, I was terrified, I had no idea where the path was taking me and I questioned if I would be successful.”

However Hynes quickly found a place for herself, as well as passion in her studies.

“The community of faculty, staff, and students welcomed me with open arms and it wasn’t long before I felt right at home,” Hynes shared. “Starting as a Liberal Arts major and not sure of my goals, it took only a semester before I found my passion for communications and changed my major.”

For Hynes, writing had been a comfort as far back as her childhood psychic experience.

“Writing for me is therapeutic,” Hynes said. “Through writing and developing characters I can be anybody I can dream of. I like to write about brave women, it helps me to be brave when I am having weak moments.”

After thriving in her communications classes, Hynes decided to take her writing beyond the classroom and found time to write for a local newspaper, eventually being asked to write freelance for The Boyertown Area Times.

“It is amazing to see your name in the byline and have people say they have read and liked your work,” Hynes said.

Hynes worked hard, balancing school and outside obligations while still prioritizing her family. Her hard work in the classroom paid off when she earned a spot on the dean’s list and was welcomed into the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) honors society. During the spring semester Hynes not only kept up her academic standing, but also took on the role of vice president for the West Campus chapter of PTK.

Outside of PTK, Hynes has given back to the College while participating in the Communicating Arts Production Group (CAPG), producing the end of the semester film screening. In an effort to share her enthusiasm with other students, Hynes served as a peer mentor at the West Campus. No matter how busy Hynes was, she always jumped at the chance to share her time and energy with the rest of the campus community.

“I am starting to dream of a career with Montco helping others succeed in the same way everyone at Montco helped me,” Hynes admitted. “I feel truly blessed having had the privilege of attending Montgomery County Community College. Truth be told though, no matter where I’ll go, I will always hang my heart in Montco halls. Montco helped to rebuild me and make me the woman I am. For that I will always be a Montco Mustang.”

Hilda Hynes on Stage

Student Speaker Hilda Hynes on stage during the Commencement ceremony with Vice President of the West Campus Dr. Steady Moono and Alumni Board of Directors Chairperson Patti Thomas.

Photo by John Welsh   

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