Jillayne Schlicke
M.A. Psychology, Integrated Studies, 2008
 As far back as 2001, Jillayne Schlicke had been teaching and publishing articles on the moral problems in the mortgage lending industry, specifically, the lack of uniform codes of ethics and the consequences of predatory lending and mortgage fraud.
"I was working as the director of education at a Fortune 500 company in an industry parallel to real estate and mortgage lending," she notes.
She says she chose Antioch because she was able to study psychology in a way that was aligned with her interests in a master's program designed for working professionals that did not lead to clinical licensure.
"Surrounding myself with high-level educators in a facilitative environment motivated me to continue to polish my own facilitation skills in the classes I teach and I recently received the Instructor of the Year award from the Seattle King County Association of Realtors."
"Antioch offers a very worthwhile growth experience. The Integrated Studies Program (ISP) is for people who are absolutely sure that they do not want to become a licensed counselor. You must be organized, assertive and motivated to complete the program. Yes, there are other teachers there to guide you, but YOU are the master of your own ship in ISP.
"I studied moral psychology, philosophy and business ethics and wrote my thesis on the moral life of the lower level worker in a Fortune 500 company in the United States," Schlicke says. "Toward the end of my Antioch experience, I became interested in social business, micro credit and the ideas of Muhammad Yunus. With the current financial crisis unfolding, I'd like to work with micro credit lending in the United States in the future."
Today, Schlicke is CEO of C.E. Forward, Inc., and founder and executive director of the National Association of Mortgage Fiduciaries.
"Because of my Antioch experience, I founded a professional association dedicated to leading the mortgage-lending industry into fiduciary status."
She describes how Antioch has contributed to her success.
"Surrounding myself with high-level educators in a facilitative environment motivated me to continue to polish my own facilitation skills in the classes I teach and I recently received the Instructor of the Year award from the Seattle King County Association of Realtors," she says.
She also points to key learning experiences she had as an Antioch student.
"Gail Dubin was my first Antioch teacher. I took the required Developmental Psychology course with Gail. The learning environment was open, encouraging and facilitative. If every teacher was going to be like Gail, I knew I belonged at Antioch.
"Ned Farley is one of the most patient people I have ever met. He is encouraging and offers feedback in a way that was never critical. Ned gently pushed me outside my comfort zone in order to get me to perform at a higher level."
A few of Schlicke's best memories?
"In Gwen Jones' Gender Studies class, we had a class visit from a transgender person who shared what it was like to be both genders. This was a fascinating experience and it opened my mind to folks who chose the ultimate life transformation. In Paul David's Family Systems class, I realized that every student had their own story, and by listening to their stories unfold over the quarter, I found I was not alone," she says.
She offers a little extra encouragement for prospective students.
"A master's degree seems like a huge project that couldn't possibly be done while working full time, raising a family, taking care of a home and starting a small business but I did it. It's done one class at a time, one quarter at a time, one assignment at a time. You need to be organized and focused only on the task at hand.
"Not everyone has a master's degree. In order to get one, you need to be willing to work hard. Lots of people quit. You have to decide if you're going to allow yourself to quit or if you're going to power through it and get it done. You may think you aren't capable of doing this, but you are," Schlicke says.
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