Technical Sergeant Ashley Gilmore has served in the U.S. Air Force for nearly a decade, working with education and training. Currently in reserve status, she also performs the same roles as a civilian for the Air Force in Charleston, South Carolina. Ashley and her husband’s military service has taken their family around the globe, and with the help of The University of Alabama’s online degree programs, she was able to earn her master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling – mostly from the other side of the world.
While their family was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, Ashley decided it was time to advance her education. She had her bachelor’s in Psychology, and because of her mom’s GI Bill benefits, she had funding for any school in Alabama. Her interest in psychology and desire to help others made her consider rehabilitation counseling, and she had her school choices narrowed down to two frontrunners: The University of Alabama and Auburn University.
“I was really wanting to go to Auburn, actually, but their program wasn’t completely online. It had too many campus requirements. Alabama’s I could do totally online, though, and it was CACREP accredited, which is very important when it comes to career application. And the UA name itself holds a lot of weight. Nobody questions that.”
So in August 2015, from Japan for her husband’s military orders, she began the program. Then, with only one semester under her belt, she received her own deployment orders, which took her away from her husband and two young daughters, Aubrey and Amiya. For the next nine months, Ashley served in Qatar while continuing to progress in the master’s program.
Ashley’s professional role is in career development and evaluation of training programs, helping airmen prepare for their transition out of the Air Force. She helps them organize their exit packets by assessing their situation and encouraging any education or training that’s necessary for them. Additionally, when she can see where some are struggling, she connects them to the resources they need. Her coursework from the rehab counseling program has enhanced her ability to do her job well.
“The whole goal of rehab counseling is to get people who have employment or education goals to reach those goals after disability. I took over 24 credit hours of specific counseling courses that are vital to what I do,” Ashley said.
Ashley credits the program’s faculty with elevating the student experience – even though she never had an in-person class or meeting.
“Dr. Junfei Lu was the best adviser I have ever had. He called me at the beginning of every semester to check in, and he always knew exactly what I needed to finish my degree. And Dr. George Mugoya was awesome, too. I can’t tell you a teacher I had for my bachelor’s, but for my master’s, Dr. Lu and Dr. Mugoya were the two best teachers I’ve ever had, and I know they would be there for me if I needed anything.”
In addition to professors she knows she can count on — who even helped her decide on a doctoral program — Ashley met some lifelong friends through the program as well.
“The program keeps you all in the same classes, so you bond with people. They put us in study groups, which is a connection that I didn’t get from my undergrad experience. I made good friends. I met two of them (Julie Sumd and Ashli Lacrosse Picasso) for the first time at a family dinner we planned the night before graduation. We had a great time, and we plan to get together again next year over the summer.”
Ashley Gilmore graduated from UA in December 2017 and made the trip to Tuscaloosa to participate in Commencement activities, a decision she cherishes.
“For people in UA Online programs who are thinking about not coming to graduation – you have to make it! That experience and that connection that you will feel is amazing. You don’t feel disconnected just because you’re a distance learning student. There is a reception for distance students, and they welcome your family to campus, and it is really great,” she said.
Ashley’s family has been a major part of her journey to her master’s. She said that her husband’s encouragement pushed her to the finish line, and that leading her daughters by example motivated her as well. “Having them watch me complete assignments all those nights, and working to create a better future for them created a stronger support system. One night as I was tucking them into bed, my oldest looked at me and said, ‘Mommy, you’re so beautiful and smart.’ I had never thought about the impression I was making on them, but after that, her words were everything I needed to keep going.”
Ashley is glad she chose UA’s program over the other one on her original list. She grew up in Columbus, Georgia, which is not far from Auburn, even with a “diehard Alabama fan” for a mom, Ashley was naturally an Auburn fan for a long time, in a “divided household.” But in the end, she chose the right side. When asked if she still cheered for Auburn, Ashley laughed and said, “Oh, no. I’m a Roll Tide!” Like they say, mama knows best.
Published: August 30th, 2020