Christy Hires is a mother of five in Colorado, a teacher, a certified aromatherapist, and now a graduate of The University of Alabama’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program, which she earned 100% online. When she finished her bachelor’s, she thought she’d never go back to school, but now, decades later, she has earned a highly respected health-related master’s degree and uses it every day as a researcher and educator.
Shortly after she had earned her bachelor’s, Christy got married, and she and her husband immediately started their family. By 2011, Christy had three children, and her family decided to adopt their fourth, a little boy.
“He came home to us at the age of five, and he had a lot of special needs. My life was consumed with that, and I wasn’t able to contribute to anything outside of my home. I’ve always been an academic, someone who wanted to keep learning.” After a couple years of taking care of her son, Christy remembered, “I felt like I need to know who I was.”
Because she had heard about how helpful essential oils could be for her son, she decided to pursue her aromatherapy certification from Franklin School of Integrative Health in Tennessee. Christy was one of the first graduating students through the certification program.
“After I graduated, they offered me a job as a professor in the program. So I started teaching and contributing what I thought we could add to our program to add value to it, and we decided that we needed to add health coaching. My boss, Dr. Jessie Hawkins, said, ‘Let’s start a graduate certificate for people who are chiropractors, nutritionists and dietitians who want to add aromatherapy to their practices.’ And I was like, ‘Well, that’s nice, but I don’t have my master’s, remember?’” Dr. Hawkins knew just the thing for Christy: UA Online.
“Jessie had earned her master’s in Health Studies online from Alabama, so she knew it was a good program,” Christy said. “In 2017, my husband and I started talking about me going back to school. We were also adopting another child, and I wasn’t sure when she’d be coming home, so I looked into programs here in Colorado. And while there are some really excellent programs here, I could not beat the cost of what UA Online was offering. And I knew from Jessie that it wasn’t an issue where the lower cost represented a lower quality of education – it was a great program and an amazing deal.”
So with two teenagers, an 11-year-old, a 9-year old and one on the way via adoption, Christy decided to take on her master’s. “We had a family meeting where we told them, ‘the House Fairy who cleans up your toys and makes sure your laundry is done is taking a break!’” Christy laughed. “Everyone said they would contribute, and I really think my kids benefited from adapting and learning those responsibilities.”
She started out in the Health Studies program, but once UA began offering their Master of Public Health online, she changed her major, transferring her credits over to the new program. “In our field, the MPH is more recognizable, so it sets me apart more and adds value to our program at Franklin and to my career,” Christy explained.
Christy said between the coursework and her internship, she gained valuable skills and knowledge that she’s been able to use at home and at work. “The core classes have all been really helpful. I’ve been able to integrate all these theories and models to broaden my understanding. For example, the transtheoretical model of behavioral change has helped me in one-on-one consultation and in teaching my students how to work with their clients. And more of our clients are wanting us to perform research on public health issues, so my MPH and internship experience are helpful there.” In addition, Christy said that class readings on public health concerns regarding vaping sparked intelligent conversations with her own teenagers.
Christy noted that the program’s diversity sets it apart from the rest. “The program brought together so many people from different backgrounds and career paths, and I liked being able to hear different perspectives and seeing how various experiences had informed those.” She said the faculty’s diversity elevated the instruction as well, delivering curriculum from a well-rounded perspective.
Christy’s new daughter came home during her last semester of the program. “Many times, I had a computer on my lap, trying to finish my internship and grade and write papers while helping my newly adopted daughter adjust. The program was a challenge, but it was never something I regretted doing. I loved how I could take it anywhere – I never felt like it wasn’t accessible. I could work ahead if I needed to, but I didn’t have to, because I could take it with me. That helped it fit into my life.”
Christy and her family came for their first visit to Tuscaloosa when she participated in graduation in December 2019. She hopes her children know that there are successful and rewarding paths outside traditional education. “My journey was different with my undergrad taking six years – and now look at me in my 40s going back to school! There were days I thought I’d never go back to school, but now to be able to put MPH after my name? It’s exciting!”
So what’s next for Christy? Her love for learning and drive to accomplish great things will likely lead her back to the classroom eventually. “I do want to go back to school. After getting my kids into college, a PhD might be my next step.”
Published: August 30th, 2020