SNHU Spotlight: Marilyn Barth, BA in General Studies Grad

Marilyn Barth ‘23 likes to keep moving toward a goal. At 75, she's already accomplished a lot. She's a professional dancer, an instructor, a mother and grandmother, and a survivor of a coma. And now, she is a graduate from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in General Studies.

“I had not really envisioned this ever happening,” Barth said.

High School and Early Career

After graduating high school in 1966, Barth began college but soon came to a crossroads. She said she met her husband and fell in love — and she also dreamed of a career as a dancer and actress.

Given becoming a professional dancer was not something she could put off, Barth decided to put college on hold and pursue her career initially in performing arts.

Barth said she worked in musical theater, in television and film, and even worked as an entertainer at Disneyland. Her husband and daughters were also actors, and the family was constantly on the road to Hollywood for auditions.

“At some point, it got crazy in our life,” said Barth. “We thought maybe we should kind of stick around home and find something that we could do for a few years so that our kids would have a normal life.”

In the 1980s, Barth and her husband started a studio for performing arts, focusing their teachings toward students interested in commercials, film and voice over.

Finding SNHU

But in 2020, COVID-19 lockdowns impacted the couple’s studio.

During this time, Barth said she started to wonder about returning to college.

“I researched a lot of different options,” said Barth. “Southern New Hampshire was the one that was accredited, and it was reasonable. And the program was something that I could work at my own pace.”

Online learning’s flexibility was important to Barth, and something she said she was grateful for. Having transitioned her in-person studio classes to Zoom, she had other responsibilities outside coursework.

With the help of her admission counselor at SNHU, Barth enrolled in the General Studies program.

“It was a wonderful choice because it was like an à la carte menu, and I could pick from many different types of classes," she said. "They were fascinating."

According to Barth, she's the type of person who, when she starts something, wants to do it well. At first, she was uncertain about her decision to begin college again.

“I didn’t know that my brain would still wrap around that type of learning,” she said. “I knew I was smart, but I didn’t know if I was university smart.”

But, after working diligently on her first graded paper and receiving an A, Barth said she burst into tears.

“I can do this,” she said.

The SNHU Experience

Barth said she enjoyed every minute of her time at SNHU. An avid researcher, much of her online experience was centered around hunting for reliable sources and learning about various topics of interest, she said.

“The Shapiro Library here is outrageous,” she said. “Just amazing.”

Barth also said her instructors provided valuable support and knowledge, as well as offering a personalized approach.

“My teachers were very much involved with me and very much encouraging,” said Barth, noting her appreciation of the real-life experience instructors offered. She found many of her instructors drew from their own career experience, as well as their education experience.

For Barth, her own life experience was valuable in her coursework, too.

“I think that maturity was something that really helped me because I could...remember personal life experience that related to what I was studying,” she said.

Her instructors also taught her, she said, that there is no expiration date on learning.

“Dreams never die,” said Barth. “You’re not too old — ever — to achieve something that you want to do, and that if you’re single-minded and push straight ahead that you can achieve what you want to.”

At the Commencement ceremony, she was joined by her husband of 56 years and her daughters.

“It means a lot. To me and my family... I’m so grateful that I did it,” she said. “It is just a verification of everything and a wonderful culmination of all the work.”

Abigayle Mahnken ’22 is an assistant content writer at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), where she earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English and is currently earning a Master of Arts (MA) in English and Creative Writing. Passionate about storytelling and education, she enjoys learning from fellow students' experiences and sharing their stories. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family, reading, and learning. She also really likes video games. Connect with her on LinkedIn.