San Diego native Sharla Serrano was once told by a high school counselor that she wasn’t smart enough for college. Now in her 50s, Sharla is pursuing her bachelor’s in General Studies 100% online and will graduate in May 2020.
“My counselor had told me I could just be a housewife,” Sharla said. “That made me angry for a long time, but ultimately, it motivated me and spurred me on to prove her wrong.”
After high school, Sharla attended a vocational medical school where she earned her certification as a licensed vocational nurse. She worked as an LVN in a hospital before staying at home full-time with her two children. When her children went to college, Sharla started thinking about going back to school herself.
She originally began pursuing a degree in Nutrition after finding inspiration from her participation in triathlons and a passion for reducing food insecurity in her community. Sharla applied to UA because she liked the fully online flexibility of the program and the quality of the degree she would be receiving. Even her family approved of her choice to enroll at Alabama.
“My dad was ecstatic when I told him I was going to Alabama just because of the reputation of the university, and of course, the football team,” Sharla said.
But two years after starting her nutrition courses, she discovered another passion that led her to change course.
“There’s so many people who need health and nutrition resources but they just don’t know how to get them,” Sharla said. “That’s when I switched from Nutrition to General Studies because it allowed me to take more social service classes that I can use to better help people in my community.”
In order to switch to General Studies, Sharla had to write a letter to both her adviser and the department of General Studies. She worked with her adviser to brainstorm for classes that would be right for her. From there Sharla was able to tailor her coursework to meet her specific career goals and select electives she thought would best meet her community’s needs.
Sharla said some of her favorite classes have had a focus on social welfare and law. These classes have only further fueled Sharla’s volunteer efforts. In her free time, Sharla volunteers at triathlons in the medical tents and with Feeding San Diego, a hunger-relief charity.
Sharla began walking through her neighborhood as part of her recovery from a surgical procedure. On her walks she met homeless people in her community and realized she wanted to help others like them. After graduation she hopes to work with the homeless population.
“I know many of the homeless in my area on a first-name basis, and I have a vision to help them in the future,” Sharla said.
Sharla has considered working with one of the many of the homeless advocacy agencies in her area, as well as serving in the juvenile probation department or becoming a nurse in her county’s correctional facilities.
For now, Sharla is focused on finishing her last semester as a student. She and her family plan to come to Tuscaloosa to participate in commencement activities. This May won’t be her first time visiting campus, though. When she was moving her son into college in Savannah, Georgia, they stopped in Tuscaloosa on a home football weekend to find a hotel. While they somehow managed to find a room at the last minute that weekend, this time they knew to book a room in advance!
Sharla said she is proud of her journey to go back to school as an adult and she’s ready for the future post-graduation. “Not every journey is cookie cutter,” Sharla said. “Not every kid is going to graduate from high school and immediately go on to a four-year degree and that’s OK.”
Published: August 30th, 2020