Tia Rockwell has been driven by a desire to help those in need since she was young. She earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice because she felt it would give her a path to assist others through life’s challenges.
“I’ve always had a passion to help people,” Rockwell said. “I’ve always wanted to advocate for others. I’ve always wanted to bring impact and change and also be able to come up with solutions.”
After graduating, she worked as a detention officer at a local jail, but over time, she realized there was a different career track that would help her make a bigger impact. Rockwell chose to pursue a master’s degree in social work.
“You are able to do a lot with that degree. It allows for you to really bring hope and change to other people,” she said.
An online school was important to Rockwell because her husband was in the military, and she knew her family would be moving often. Plus, as a mom, she needed flexibility in her schedule to help meet her child’s needs.
So, she started researching online schools and discovered that The University of Alabama’s program checked all the boxes.
“It was very affordable compared to other programs and schools I was looking into,” Rockwell said. “Flexibility, accommodations and affordability are the three main reasons why [I chose UA Online].”
“I loved that even though we were online, I still really connected with my classmates. We were able to really help each other, depend on each other and communicate well.”
When she enrolled, her family had moved from Japan to San Diego, California, and she was pregnant with her second child. It just so happened to also be in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The classes still had a sense of camaraderie even though the students were hundreds of miles apart.
“I loved that even though we were online, I still really connected with my classmates,” Rockwell said. “We were able to really help each other, depend on each other and communicate well.”
Outside of class, the students would work together virtually on projects, and she said their professors were incredibly receptive and understanding.
“My professors were phenomenal,” Rockwell said. “They made themselves available when we needed them.”
The fact that most of her professors had worked in the social work field, or were still working in the field, was a bonus because they could share their experiences and give pointers on what to expect, things to avoid and what works well. Their transparency was refreshing to her.
Her professors were supportive throughout her time as a student, but especially when she delivered her second child. Rockwell didn’t have to take a break from pursuing her degree during that time, which was very important to her.
When Rockwell traveled to Tuscaloosa for her graduation, she attended a campus reception and made sure to take photos with everyone who had helped her along the way.
Rockwell is proud to say she is using her degree every day in her work as a mental health therapist. She is now working online in telehealth, meaning she sees most of her clients virtually. She moved back home to Arkansas, but the organization she works for is based in Oregon and helped her get licensed there.
“My degree has largely impacted me in a positive way. It has opened up doors. I’m now pursuing not only my passion, but my purpose in this field because I pursued that particular degree. I’m very thankful,” Rockwell said.
Find out how The University of Alabama Online can open doors for you. See all our degree programs at online.ua.edu/degrees.