Truckin’ her way to a degree 
By Advance Business Capital  

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody but unbowed.

from Invictus by W.E. Henley (1849-1903)

Invictus is the poem Nelson Mandela recited to himself during his 27 years in a South African prison. In this Between the Ditches column, we pay tribute to a woman trucker who displays the indomitable spirit of freight haulers through the ages.

Julie Hjelle – Invincible Learner

Julie Hjelle gives fresh meaning to distance learning. The 39-year-old University of North Dakota student is earning an online degree in social science while working as a truck driver.

Until last fall, when she was hired by FedEx, Julie drove a semi-trailer to Alaska and back for two years, sometimes on the road for weeks at a time. Routes through remote Canadian regions had spotty internet and cell phone service, so she usually took advantage of wireless connections at truck stops and rest areas to download assignments and email completed papers to her professors in Grand Forks.

UND instructor Steven Schmidt, who taught Julie in two Spanish courses, says that of his 100 online students, only one who is soldiering in Afghanistan is pursuing a degree under more difficult circumstances. Julie’s persistence and dedication were honored recently when she was recognized at the Great Plains Educational Conference as 2009’s Outstanding Continuing Education Student.

With two teenagers and a husband (also a truck driver), Julie—who goes by the handle “Mother Trucker”—is now glad that her FedEx route between Grand Forks and Winnipeg keeps her closer to home. “I love trucking, but I want options. Someday I’d like to come off the road. You don’t see many 75-year-old lady drivers.”

This column applauds Julie Hjelle. We’re sure that in due time Julie Hjelle will be working in her new career as a social scientist.  

Attributions: Julie Hjelle article drawn from information at University of North Dakota Pressroom and The Park Rapids Enterprise.

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