To be with someone in their moment at this crossroads, I feel very privileged.
        --Heather Burton, Class of 2005

For Heather Burton, attending Hazelden's Graduate School of Addiction Studies was the beginning of chapter two in her life. Prior to attending the Grad School, she was a senior-level account executive in the high-tech industry with a fabulous waterfront home and a generous compensation package.

"My career was very successful," she recalls. "I also knew I didn't want to do it anymore."

Heather recalls a grueling three-hour conference call, when she used her laptop to visit the Hazelden Web site--a place she hadn't been since purchasing her last book. "For some reason I clicked on the Grad School," she says, "and heard a voice in my head loud and clear: 'This is what I will do. I know I will do this.'"

Heather was drawn by Hazelden's reputation; a friend of hers had described Hazelden as "the Harvard Law of addiction." Heather was also drawn by the ability to obtain the credentials in one year to enter a totally new field. Her coworkers and clients overwhelmingly supported her decision, as did her husband Art, a recently retired CEO and a Vietnam veteran. While Heather attended Graduate School, Art returned to Vietnam to teach business English at the University of Danang.

"We both operate under the theory 'To whom much is given, much is required,'" Heather explains.

About her Graduate School experience, Heather explains "There is something wonderful about putting oneself in a brand new setting at the age of 50-plus and learning and going through exam anxiety." Heather drew strength from the support of other students and faculty. She also discovered that every life experience helped her as a student: her mother's love of writing; her father's work ethic; her own ability to pace herself and measure progress from ballet and marathon training; and perseverance from her sales career.

As a Chemical Dependency Professional 1 on the Simpson Unit, Heather works at Hazelden's newest facility, the Women's Recovery Center. She is part of the "chapter two" experienced by women patients ages 23 to 82. "This is a special, special place," she says. "To be with someone in their moment at this crossroads, I feel very privileged."