Originally from Chicago, but having spent most of his life in Alabama, Darrick Carr describes himself as a “diehard Alabama fan.” He moved to Tuscaloosa after high school in Vernon, Alabama, and began pursuing a bachelor’s degree at The University of Alabama in 1992. He was a first-generation college student, and the first of his siblings to attend college, despite being 12th out of 13 in birth order. However, due to family reasons, he had to put his dreams of college on hold before he could complete his bachelor’s.
“It was very important to me to finish my degree, and very important that I did it at Bama, but I especially wanted to finish for the example. At last count, I had 56 nieces and nephews, and I wanted to lead by example and stress to them the importance of education. I want them to know if Uncle Darrick can do it and work full time and handle everything else I’m doing, then they can do it, too.”
Darrick works in Atlanta’s public housing industry and spends time volunteering with several organizations in the fight against human trafficking. Even with all of these demands on his time, he earned his bachelor’s degree in General Studies online through UA Online in 2015. He completed his General Studies master’s in May of 2019 along with a graduate certificate in Consumer Conflict Management. Through both General Studies programs, he was able select courses that would advance his career and meet his personal needs, and the addition of the certificate has really made a difference in all areas of his life.
“I work with tenants and landlords on a regular basis, and having the tools to be able to bring opposing sides to the table and walk away with a positive resolution is important. The classes opened my eyes to so many conflict resolution techniques – I learned technical names for concepts I was already familiar with, and I also learned that much of what I was doing was wrong. The program included lots of hands-on activities that helped me practice and improve what I was learning about managing and mediating conflict,” Darrick said.
He praised the program as a whole, and said that Dr. Kym Reddoch, the program director, really made a difference. “She took the time to connect with me and find out what I wanted from the program, and she knew how to encourage and redirect me to be able to tailor the program to my interests and goals. She made me want to learn.”
Darrick sums up who he is by saying he’s an advocate for those in need – in his volunteer work to combat and abolish sex slavery and in his professional role in public housing. “I feel like I get to work with what I call a ‘forgotten group.’ Lots of companies don’t construct buildings while thinking of those with disabilities and the elderly population. So I’m here to make sure properties align with reasonable accommodations according to the law. As you can imagine, that poses some conflict. My certificate isn’t just a line on my resume – I refer back to material from the program regularly to refresh my mind on techniques I learned. The program equipped me to understand how to approach situations and not damage relationships, but walk away with a win-win resolution as much as possible.”
Nine days after he graduated with his master’s and the certificate, Darrick received a promotion at work. He said that not only has the certificate program prepared him with the knowledge he needs to be successful in this new role, but he also used techniques he learned to negotiate his new salary! Darrick has told others about the program, encouraging everyone in his workplace to consider it because of how helpful it’s been for him; one of his colleagues has already taken his advice and enrolled.
His co-workers aren’t the only ones he’s encouraged to advance their education. “The opportunity is too great for me to be the only one in my family who’s done this,” he said. His little brother Ephram graduates next May from The University of Alabama with a bachelor’s in General Studies through UA Online, and his crew of nieces and nephews are watching and learning from his example as well.
“It’s been a roller coaster, but it’s been a fun roller coaster. If I had it all to do over again, I’d do it in a heartbeat without batting an eye. I’m able to use what I learned in the program every single day of my life.”
Published: August 30th, 2020