At one time, Cindy Gang (pronounced Güng) couldn’t balance her own checkbook.
But those days are far behind the 51-year-old mother of two who was named the top undergraduate student by faculty in the College of Business and Administration at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. Gang will graduate Friday from UCCS as part of the largest graduating class in the university’s history.
Approximately 1,700 December and May graduates are eligible to attend annual commencement exercises. More than 1,000 are expected to participate with friends and family filling the World Arena.
“I was surprised when I was selected for this honor,” Gang said recently with a touch of drawl that belies her Alabama roots. “I thought a student who had been able to go to school full-time and concentrate on studies was far more likely to be recognized.”
Beginning at UCCS in 2001, a few months after her second round of treatment for thyroid cancer, Gang balanced family responsibilities and a full-time and second part-time job in addition to her coursework. Gang previously worked as a special education teacher, specializing in children with multiple disabilities, before meeting her future husband, a Certified Public Accountant who owns his own firm. Meeting Jacob, and later assisting at the firm, sparked an interest and showed an aptitude in accounting.
“I owe so much to my husband, Jacob,” Cindy Gang said. “He provided encouragement and moral support but he also did the chauffeuring, the cooking, the cleaning and just about everything else so I could study. He picked up the slack that allowed me to succeed.”
Jacob and Cindy Gang moved to Colorado Springs from Atlanta after visiting the area on vacation and reconnecting with family.
“My uncle graduated from CU,” Gang said. “When we visited here on vacation, all I could think about was that I wanted a CU education for my children. We sold part of the practice and moved, and are now practicing in Colorado Springs.”
That dream of a CU education came true for Gang earlier this month when her son, Nathan, graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado at Boulder with two bachelor’s degrees in engineering (computer science) and journalism (broadcast production). A younger son, Adam, attends Air Academy High School.
Following a vacation to Israel, Gang will set her sights on the next goal, passing the Certified Public Accountant exam.
UCCS, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs, is the fastest growing university in Colorado and one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The university offers 29 bachelor’s degrees, 18 master’s and four doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls about 7,600 students annually.