Asheville, N.C. native Morgan Grooms didn’t expect her first visit to Tuscaloosa to transform her future and inspire dozens of sixth graders to do the same. But that’s the power of an MA in Instructional Technology through UA Online.
Morgan is a sixth grade English Language Arts teacher who has always had a penchant for computer science. Insistent that she would never return to school for a master’s degree, Morgan’s head was turned when she made her first trip to Tuscaloosa for a football game with friends in 2022. “Walking around campus, I thought it might be time to broaden my horizons a little bit,” she recalled.
She began looking at UA Online’s degree options when she came across the Master of Arts in Instructional Technology.
“I wasn’t fully aware of what all the degree entailed. I just heard ‘instructional technology.’ Technology? I like that. Instruction? I like that. Let’s go for it.”
Morgan still had a lot of questions as a first-generation student. She turned to an instructional technologist from her school system for mentorship in selecting which university would be best.
Her mentor put it plainly, “You would be an absolute fool if you do not choose The University of Alabama with their course lineup. That’s the best choice for a future career in this field.”
With that, Morgan submitted her application.
Cutting a Path for Her Students
When Morgan’s acceptance email came through, she was standing in front of her students. She shared the news and her excitement with the class before finishing out the school day.
“I came into school the next day to find a pink note on my desk, so I told them when it came time, I would pin the note to the inside of my robe so they could walk with me across the stage, because they are my biggest supporters and the reason I did this.”
The little pink note read, “We are proud of you!!!”
Morgan began her classes that fall and continued to share her enthusiasm with her students, inspiring their engagement and class projects around The University of Alabama, including a published book project about Big Al saving the day.
Her students stayed invested in her degree progress as she continued to share her journey with them.
“I got the experience of Alabama without having to physically be at Alabama. And that's something that even my sixth graders noticed. I have students who never in a million years would have considered college as a possibility for them. These guys saw me from acceptance through my classes.”
Many of her students tuned in to the commencement livestream to watch Ms. Grooms cross the stage.
“I had so many parents message me to say, ‘It was so inspirational to see my kid get excited over you graduating.’ It’s really setting the bar for them, their goals and their future. It was really impactful to have the reputation of The University of Alabama.”
And that pink note? It was pinned safely inside of her commencement gown just as she had promised.
