Fresh out of high school, Lafayette native Courtney Johnson packed her bags and moved 1,000 miles north to Iowa to pursue her undergraduate degree in psychology.
She spent a couple years there, even landing a spot on the Dean小蝌蚪APP檚 List one semester.
But with time, she became homesick. So, she packed her bags and moved back to Lafayette, enrolling at UL Lafayette 小蝌蚪APP the university she grew up around 小蝌蚪APP as an on-campus psychology student.
She spent several more semesters as an on-campus student, first in psychology and then in sociology, while working part time, but when the COVID-19 pandemic started, Johnson decided to put school on pause.
In 2023, determined to finish the degree she started, she re-enrolled in UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 Bachelor of General Studies online program.
小蝌蚪APP淏oth of my parents attended UL Lafayette, but unfortunately, they did not finish,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淔inishing was a huge goal for me. Being an older sister to younger kids, I want to always put my best foot forward. I want to lead by example so my siblings can look up to me and say, 小蝌蚪APP楾hank you, sister.小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP
Now, less than two years later, Johnson has achieved that goal.
Finishing Online
Having the ability to finish her degree online was huge for Johnson.
Currently working for an inventory management company, she travels to stores and retail pharmacies throughout the United States, sometimes waking up as early as 2 a.m. to start her workday.
小蝌蚪APP淢y job has taken me all over 小蝌蚪APP Michigan, Ohio, New Orleans,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 was traveling so much, and I needed to be an online student. It was nice to be in another state and still be able to complete my assignments.小蝌蚪APP
Despite her difficult work schedule, Johnson managed to balance it all 小蝌蚪APP work, family, and school 小蝌蚪APP with self-discipline and transparency with her loved ones.
小蝌蚪APP淚 did have to talk to my loved ones just to let them know that I was going to be taking a step back from my 30, 40, or even 60-hour work weeks,小蝌蚪APP she recalls. 小蝌蚪APP淪chool was part of my job.小蝌蚪APP
Part of treating school like her job meant blocking out days specifically for schoolwork. On days Johnson had off work, she spent her time working on assignments.
小蝌蚪APP淎nd, of course, I had some late nights and all-nighters here and there, too,小蝌蚪APP Johnson says.
Finding Support
Luckily, Johnson had an entire village supporting her through her journey.
She cites loved ones like her mother, siblings, and boyfriend as her biggest supporters.
小蝌蚪APP淭hey pushed me. They wanted me to do well,小蝌蚪APP Johnson recalls. 小蝌蚪APP淢y friends encouraged me, too. My friend Gabrielle even made me a custom planner so I could keep track of things.小蝌蚪APP
This support didn小蝌蚪APP檛 just come from Johnson小蝌蚪APP檚 personal network.
At the 小蝌蚪APP, she found several supportive staff members who pushed her and helped her on her journey.
This included the Online Student Support Team, who provided her with support from the time she inquired about her program to the time she graduated.
小蝌蚪APP淎shley on the Online Student Support Team was great,小蝌蚪APP Johnson says. 小蝌蚪APP淪he was very helpful. She gave me some ideas of classes I could take that she took when she was an online student. She called me every semester to check in and make sure my classes were going smoothly.小蝌蚪APP
This also included her advisor in the 小蝌蚪APP College, who met with her each semester to help her plan her courseload for the next semester and keep her on track to graduate.
小蝌蚪APP淢y advisor, Dwan, was great, too,小蝌蚪APP Johnson says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 was very transparent with her that I wanted to graduate and that I didn小蝌蚪APP檛 want to keep pushing myself back. She understood what I wanted and encouraged me and helped me to get to that.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淚 found that as an online student, I got so much support, and I felt much less intimidated about asking questions than I did before.小蝌蚪APP
Looking Ahead
Now that Johnson小蝌蚪APP檚 reached her goal and earned her bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree, she小蝌蚪APP檚 ready to pursue her next goal: returning to the classroom as a teacher. She小蝌蚪APP檚 currently in the early stages of researching alternative teacher certification programs.
小蝌蚪APP淚 want to work in education and work with kids,小蝌蚪APP Johnson says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 worked at a daycare once, and I小蝌蚪APP檝e done substitute teaching. Being around kids and helping educate them is something I think I would enjoy.小蝌蚪APP
Her advice to peers? Be proud of your degree and field of study.
小蝌蚪APP淧eople think that general studies is a degree for people who don小蝌蚪APP檛 know what they want to do,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淭hat小蝌蚪APP檚 not the case. They just don小蝌蚪APP檛 know right at that moment what they want to do. As you take classes in different areas and as you learn, you start to see what you like and what you want to go for.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淭he general studies degree is so versatile. If you小蝌蚪APP檙e entering this program, just go for it, because it doesn小蝌蚪APP檛 mean that you小蝌蚪APP檙e undecisive. It just means you小蝌蚪APP檙e exploring and learning new things along the way.小蝌蚪APP
Finish what you started and explore new opportunities with our Bachelor of General Studies online program.
