When Dawn Stephens, of Grove Hill, Alabama, determined it was time to finish her bachelor’s degree, she chose UA Online’s New College LifeTrack. Having a degree has doubled her salary and empowered her to affect a positive change in her community that would have been impossible otherwise.
Dawn began her college career at The University of Alabama the same as many students do — on campus, exploring majors, having a great time and figuring out what comes next. She prepared to be a history teacher but stepped away shortly before graduation for marriage and then children. Once she became a mother, her purpose shifted in a way she hadn’t anticipated.
To understand Dawn’s drive is to know what she and her family have navigated together. Her youngest son, Jake, now 18 years old, was diagnosed on the autism spectrum at an early age. His diagnosis launched her on a mission to learn as much as she could about the disorder and into a special education career as a paraprofessional in Jake’s classroom at Jackson High School, the closest special education program in a neighboring city.
“I wanted to dig and dig and dig to find out as much as I could about autism, about how to help kids on the spectrum, about ways to engage them. I thought art therapy would be effective, because we don’t have anything like that in our little county.”
Dawn didn’t want to be hypocritical when she encouraged her oldest son to stick with college, and she had gone as far as she could on her own in the classroom. She needed the credentials to do more at her school; Dawn reenrolled at UA. She learned she could use her previous credits to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies through UA Online’s New College LifeTrack.
“When I reached out to the admissions department at UA, they told me about New College LifeTrack and assured me it would be very supportive. And they were right. My advisor was so encouraging. I didn’t feel like I was two and a half hours away in Grove Hill. My main concern about online courses was that I would be stuck out there alone. But I never felt alone.”
She came to campus for orientation with her art therapy research idea percolating in her mind. When Dawn shared her idea, Dr. Jennifer Caputo introduced herself, taking a special interest in Dawn’s project idea. She became a trusted source throughout Dawn’s final year of undergraduate studies.
Dawn went to work right away designing lesson plans, and with permission from the local school board, she used the students in her classroom to test which lessons worked and which didn’t. The research project was so well designed that Dawn received Outstanding Senior Project honors recognition within her college for “Art Therapy Within a Self-Contained Special Ed Classroom.”
With her fresh bachelor’s degree and her research, Dawn’s path was paved to step into the role of a full-time special education teacher for grades 9-12, bringing with her the relatable experience as Jake’s mom.
“I can give this role a personal touch because I know what it’s like to be the parent. I remember the IEP meetings when he was younger — feeling so defeated and ashamed and embarrassed and just hurt when I left. As a parent, you already know what your kid can and can’t do. I refuse to go over the negative. You need people cheering for you, not pulling you down. As long as I’m in this post, they’re going to hear good stuff.”
Much of that “good stuff” comes from the art projects, largely from her research, that Dawn’s students are working on in the classroom. The therapeutic projects teach the students different coping mechanisms when they feel overwhelmed. They’re making their own worry stones, drawing zentangles and creating their own versions of masterpieces.
Reflecting on her final push to her degree, Dawn says, “If I had known that it would have been this easy, I would have gone back years ago.”
Her husband Ross chimed in, “I think it gave you validation of all the things you want to try to do. It allowed you to actually do them instead of just talking about them.”
Dawn is answering Alabama’s need for more rural teachers, especially in special education. She has applied for emergency certification and will be completing a few extra courses to receive her full classroom certification. In the meantime, she and some of her students will be making an exciting transition to Clarke County High School’s new special education program, located in Grove Hill, instead of busing to Jackson High.
“Having this degree and especially having this senior project with art therapy for special education, that is what got me into this position.”
What doors will a degree open for you? It’s time to find out. Apply at online.ua.edu.