Student Stories

First-generation college student Joseph Thomas recalls his mother’s advice to him early on. He was in Child Protective Services’ care due to extreme poverty, a drug-addicted father and having witnessed his sister’s sexual assault, and his mother explained to him that the only way out of that situation in the future was through education. He...

 

Quality is something always on Tyler Morgan’s mind. Tyler works at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia, where he’s a senior quality engineer for the Navy’s missile production. His leadership encouraged a more technical background, which Tyler is fulfilling by earning a bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering through UA Online. This isn’t Tyler’s first experience...

 

Debra Weldon finished her first full marathon in 2014, and three years later she began a new race, pursuing her master’s degree in Educational Psychology — School Psychometry through UA Online. Weldon is a special education teacher in her school district in Deatsville, Alabama. She first learned about school psychometry while sitting in on eligibility...

 

Courtney Elliott Thrasher was not your typical student waiting to find out if she got into college. At 37, Courtney worried her neighbors might think she was crazy when the large envelope from The University of Alabama arrived and she broke down crying in her driveway. “Congratulations! You’ve been accepted,” it read. “Alabama has always...

 

After many years teaching and counseling in Georgia, Dr. Millie Dawson-Hardy looked to The University of Alabama for the next step in her career. The Alabama native returned to her home state to serve as the Clinical Assistant Professor for the fully online EdS in Counselor Education program through the College of Education. Dawson-Hardy received...

 

In 2009, while Nick Saban was leading the Alabama Crimson Tide to their first National Championship since 1992 and a perfect no-loss season, Chris Poarch was charting his own path to victory as he enrolled in his first college course – online. Poarch began his education through UA Online after serving for nearly 16 years...

 

Mother of two small children and a pediatric primary care nurse practitioner in New Jersey, Lauren O’Hanlan has long been a fierce contender, setting challenging goals and rising above any obstacle that gets in her way. UA Online is proud to have helped her achieve her most recent feat — graduating with her Doctor of...

 

How does a gamer and camera repairman become the Director of Information Technology at the Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education at The University of Alabama? Paul Jarnagin’s story is an inspirational tale that begins in Colorado, where he had moved to work on a bachelor’s degree that never panned out. It’s fitting that...

 

Laurence Holmes wears many hats. And this past weekend he donned a new one to walk across the commencement stage in Tuscaloosa along with over 5,000 other spring graduates. Laurence Holmes has a TV spot (NBC Chicago Sports) and a midday radio show (670 The Score) — he was just promoted from evenings, by the...

 

Faculty from the EdD in Higher Education Administration Executive Cohort gush about their students, and we couldn’t pick just one! We caught up with three different recent graduates whose roles across the spectrum of higher ed showcase the diversity of the program. Sherry Chance Job Title: Associate Vice President for Global Operations at LeTourneau University...