When Shira Taylor completed her BSBA in Management online at the end of the Summer 2022 term, she silenced a persistent insecurity at last.
For a long time, Taylor worried she wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 小蝌蚪APP渟mart enough to do 100% online小蝌蚪APP she says.
Nevertheless, earning her degree had been the goal for some time. 
Taylor, of Baton Rouge, began taking classes at her local community college in the mid-2000s. She eventually needed to step away to focus on motherhood and supporting her family, but she remained motivated to earn her degree.
小蝌蚪APP淚 had made up my mind, once you start something, you have got to finish it,小蝌蚪APP she says.
As Taylor built a career in business administration and accounting, she imagined how she might return to in-person classes while maintaining her work schedule.
小蝌蚪APP淚 kept trying to think of ways I could work full-time and then go on campus,小蝌蚪APP says Taylor. 小蝌蚪APP淸Finally] I was like, 小蝌蚪APP榊ou know what? I want this degree, so I'm just going to step out and I'm going to try. I keep saying that I can't [do online], but how will I know if I never try?小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP
Give It Your All
Taylor dove into online learning in October 2019.
She planned her weeks meticulously with study time split between the weekends and weeknights as needed. She set deadline reminders in her phone earlier than necessary to give herself little grace periods.
小蝌蚪APP淚 think it was just determination and being really hungry for it,小蝌蚪APP says Taylor. 小蝌蚪APP淚 think if it小蝌蚪APP檚 something you want, you make time for it and you do it and you put your all into it.小蝌蚪APP
Taylor committed to working through holiday breaks to keep ahead of her workload.
小蝌蚪APP淚 used that time to kind of move ahead and stay on top of things, so the work wouldn小蝌蚪APP檛 pile up on me,小蝌蚪APP she says.
As Taylor headed into the home stretch of her studies, fresh challenges presented themselves. She was promoted from customer service representative to accounting clerk at Neighbor小蝌蚪APP檚 Federal Credit Union.
While she was excited for an opportunity to advance, Taylor had to balance a steep learning curve at work and in her classes.
小蝌蚪APP淚t was a little challenging learning something new at work, plus coming home and teaching yourself something online, but like I said, if you want it, you小蝌蚪APP檙e gonna do it,小蝌蚪APP says Taylor.
When the challenges got more intense, Taylor leaned on her mom for help and support.
小蝌蚪APP淭hank God for my mom,小蝌蚪APP says Taylor. 小蝌蚪APP淪he helped with my daughter. She picked her up from the bus and she helped her with homework and all that.小蝌蚪APP
Leading and Learning by Example
Even before she stepped in as a vital source of support and encouragement, Taylor小蝌蚪APP檚 mother had been her role model regarding higher education.
小蝌蚪APP淢y mom has a bachelor's degree and maybe that's why I wanted it really bad, because that's something she achieved,小蝌蚪APP says Taylor.
Now Taylor gets to serve that role.
Taylor knows her children and her close friends see the way she approached her studies, and her journey shows them what is possible when you refuse to give up on yourself.
小蝌蚪APP淚 have three kids; two are grown and my youngest is 10,小蝌蚪APP says Taylor. 小蝌蚪APP淚 realize my son is 26 and he still looks at the things I do. He may not say, but I see in some of the actions he takes. They小蝌蚪APP檙e watching me so I always want to set a positive example.小蝌蚪APP
At the core of Taylor小蝌蚪APP檚 positive example is being honest about when she was really struggling, to show her family and loved ones she wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 perfect at everything, she was determined.
小蝌蚪APP淧eople around me, I want them to see, you know, I don't get everything right, but I can do this,小蝌蚪APP says Taylor. 小蝌蚪APP淚f you give it your all, there are no regrets at the end of the day.小蝌蚪APP