ABSTRACT
Having acquired both a PhD and first teaching position in 2000, Mary Godwyn has been a faculty member for over 20 years. By several measures, she is a success, but that description belies a rocky start and renewed insecurities. The author is a composite of identities that are unusual in the academy: a single mother of four children, a full professor, and a sociologist who teaches at a business school. Taking a decade off between undergraduate and graduate school to care for her children, Professor Godwyn was an older, non-traditional student. Her own childhood experiences set the odds of graduating from college at less than 10%. Yet, she reached the highest academic rank despite being a non-conformist in the classroom, in her research, and in her personal life. Godwyn went into academics with the conviction that she would not compromise her professional integrity or diminish her commitment to being an involved parent. After 20 years, four children, three marriages, one pandemic, myriad conference presentations, numerous publications, over 3000 students, she is still counting.
