Hitting a home run for the future

I began my journey at Ivy Bridge in August of 2008. My life was in ruins at the time as I had just been granted a second divorce, thanks to a cheating husband. I was devastated but was also determined to make it known that I was a survivor. I was not going to let the past dictate my future and I was hell bent on proving that I could do things on my own! Not to mention, I wanted to set an example for my daughter that it was never to late to go to school and make something of yourself.

I had debated the idea of going back to school prior to my divorce. Busy schedules, extra curricular activities, and a spouse in college at the time just did not allow for me to attend college at the same time. Luckily, I took the divorce as the opportunity to move forward and I started looking into online colleges. I am a single mother and I run my own private daycare business, so the mere thought of sitting in a classroom just was not going to work for me. I needed something that was going to accommodate my life. I came across Ivy Bridge/Tiffin University and began making the necessary arrangements in order to start my online courses in January, 2009. I was accepted into the Associate of Criminal Justice program in the fall of 2008, and I graduated with a 4.0 GPA in December, 2010. Aside from my daughter being born, graduating was one of the best things that had ever happened to me!

Throughout the two year program, the staff at Ivy Bridge went above and beyond to help me succeed in my goal. I am a person that is not afraid to ask questions, and the staff always had the answers. It was nice to feel the support from the success coaches and know that I had support no matter what I thought. If I thought I could not do an assignment or did not mesh well with a professor (lol), they were there for me to talk to. The entire Associate Degree program exceeded my expectations!

I would advise that the online program takes a lot of motivation, determination, and creative scheduling around home life. I highly recommend that students find a routine that works and stick to it. Start homework early and participate in discussions every day to receive those easy points! I can not even begin to tell you how many papers I wrote on the sidelines at my daughter’s football games as she was cheering. I was even determined NOT to do homework on the weekends, so all my assignments were turned on Friday afternoons!

I am currently enrolled at Tiffin University in the Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice Administration Program. It is a different set-up than Ivy Bridge, but I will stress that that the staff is still supportive and always willing to answer questions. I am on target to graduate with my bachelor's in November, 2012 and I still maintain the same routine for participating in discussions and turning in assignments. For now, I am going to continue on with my daycare business so that I can remain at home as long as I can, but I do hope to obtain a career as a private investigator.

It is important to remember that life throws curve balls when you least expect it. It is up to you to figure out what you are going to do with the ball. I decided to hit mine and run and make a better life for not only me, but for my daughter as well. Thank you Ivy Bridge and Tiffin University for helping me to not strike out but to make a homerun for the future!