In a time of soaring prices for higher education, don’t overlook the City University of New York (CUNY), which costs less than $6,000 a year, but many question the quality of its education. In 2003, at age 33, I decided to give CUNY a try since it fit neatly into my schedule and budget. It worked out beautifully. At CUNY, I found a school that offered opportunities I had never considered and friendships that influenced the direction of my future.

It was when my husband finished training as a physician (first at NYU and then residency at Montefiore Medical Center), that I decided to enroll full time at CUNY’s Lehman College in Bedford Park, just minutes from where I live. At that point, four years ago, I had lived in the Bronx for 11 years, raised my children here and worked in some non-profit offices.

When I entered Lehman, my enthusiasm for getting involved in campus life gave me courage to do crazy things like rekindle my interest in softball. I joined the college team, with mixed results. Over three seasons I endured stitches to my lower lip, six weeks on crutches and orthopedic surgery to replace a knee ligament. But I have no regrets. I made friends I never would have met and saw a new side to the city with every away game. Besides, the coach honored me with the award for “Most Improved” and named me co-captain in my second season.

When I wasn’t getting injured, I enjoyed being a full-time student. I read literature and philosophy, studied the history of Western music and worked with fantastic professors on my writing (who took a genuine interest in me and patiently answered all my e-mails).

While working in fund-raising earlier in my life, I noticed how financial support often arrived because of the compelling stories that influenced the decisions of powerful, wealthy people. I began to see writing as a useful tool for persuading others to think critically and make good choices, so in school I focused on writing those compelling stories.

I learned about journalism and the real meaning of leadership by taking charge of the campus newspaper, the Meridian.

I joined the paper as a writer and the chief encouraged me to pursue stories with vigor. She assigned me tough cases, like finding out why disabled students on campus continued to wait for completion of a seven-year-old elevator construction project. She pushed me to ask hard questions. As I began to understand the importance of my own contributions to the campus community, I decided I would pursue journalism as my discipline.

By the time I was nominated to be editor-in-chief, I was hooked on reporting. I am inspired by the power it has to elicit conversation and investigation, to offer review, or introduce and broaden people’s awareness of their community, its problems and opportunities.

Thanks to my time at Lehman, I am prepared to continue my training as a journalist. With generous scholarships from both Lehman and the chancellor, I will attend the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism downtown this fall. I look forward to more reporting and becoming an investigator who will relay stories that inspire others to do good, seek change, speak up and participate in the world around them.

Annie Shreffler lives with her husband and two daughters in Bedford Park.

The author as she graduated from Lehman College in May.