Student Stories

After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Maleka and Eric Beal relocated to Texas for two years to recover and rebuild.  While in Texas, they realized a passion for learning and nutrition that transformed their lives in more ways than one. “While we were displaced, we lost nearly 300 pounds,” Maleka explained. “Everything we had tried...

 

Born and raised in Thaxton, Mississippi, Kevin Carwyle was finishing up his associate degree in Drafting Design and Technology at Itawamba Community College in 2001. He wanted to complete a bachelor’s degree, but he was concerned about the cost. A friend from work suggested he join the National Guard since they offered a signing bonus...

 

When Tracy Haraway went to Judson College after high school, she had dreams of a rewarding career in education. She was going to earn her degree in English and later pursue the components necessary to become a teacher, but her plans changed on the way to her degree. “I realized there was a little more...

 

Gabe Burns graduated from high school in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2003. He took a few college business classes, but wasn’t sure what he wanted to do professionally. After completing the necessary training and working as an EMT and volunteer firefighter for a few years, he ended up in sales for a major power...

 

Cindy Gellins grew up in a military family and moved around every three years throughout her childhood for her dad’s assignments. She is the oldest of four girls, and her mother’s secondary language is English. These aspects of her life posed unique challenges to Cindy’s success in grade school. “I struggled a lot. I never...

 

In 1992, the same year the Crimson Tide won its 12th national football title, Aundrea Self Nichols was a college student in Tuscaloosa, double-majoring in English and mass communications at Stillman College. In her roles as Miss Stillman and as a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Aundrea was familiar with The University of...

 

Brandon Rowland graduated from Auburn University in 2008 with a bachelor’s in Public Administration. Due to the economic recession, he was in a situation many Americans found themselves in at the time – unemployed with few prospects. “I couldn’t find anything that was full-time with benefits. I gave myself a deadline of three months to...

 

Debbie Penso earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Auburn University in Secondary English Education and spent years teaching middle and high school English in communities around the U.S. “I enjoyed these experiences and felt like my heart was in English education. I wasn’t looking for another degree at that point in my career,” she...

 

Becky Boyer earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Nursing from the University of South Alabama and served as a nurse for many years. For the last 12 years, she’s been shaping the next generation of nurses as an instructor at Coastal Alabama Community College. In 2016, Becky began considering degree programs that could advance...

 

The views expressed by Austen Boroff in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Defense or the Army and should not be considered an endorsement by either of those entities. Austen Boroff is a University of Alabama student, earning a top-ranked master’s in Marketing with a specialization in Marketing Analytics...