Earning a degree fresh out of high school isn’t the path everyone takes.
That’s true for Clarence Chapman, who earned his B.S.B.A. in Management online in May at the age of 32. “I went to another university for a semester out of high school,” Chapman says. “Being young, it wasn’t really for me. I had my mind on other stuff, like working.”
Although stepping away from school allowed Chapman to start earning a full-time income earlier than most, he found with time that not having a degree meant his career had little direction.
“I coach basketball at Centerville High School, and the coach I was working under once, Montrelle Taylor, he graduated from UL Lafayette,” Chapman recalls. “He told me, ‘You know, you’ve been telling me how your jobs have been, and I think you should go back to school.’”
With that advice, Chapman’s journey began.
Gaining a Fresh Perspective
In late 2019, Chapman enrolled at South Louisiana Community College as an online student to complete his associate degree in business.
After finishing his program there, he took advantage of the 2+2 Transfer Pathway between SoLAcc and UL Lafayette. Through the pathway, students who earn an associate degree from SoLAcc can apply all 60 credits earned there toward their business degree at UL Lafayette.
Entering the online management program, Chapman had experience in management roles, including as an assistant store manager at Dollar General, but his management courses offered a fresh perspective on both his and his supervisors’ work.
“There’s so much more to management than what I previously thought,” he says. “There’s HR, there’s scheduling, there’s leadership, there’s finance. Now, when I look at my current supervisor in my data entry job, Jeffery Beverly, I can appreciate everything he does. I feel like he fits every quality of what I’ve learned in my classes.”
“I think back now to when I was a manager at Dollar General, and I understand it better. As a manager, you can’t be rude to people; you have to be both firm and friendly. And you also have to consider all these other business factors.”
One of Chapman’s favorite classes was MGMT 445: Digital Business, taught by Dr. Ron Cheek, associate professor of management.
The class examines the key elements of conducting business digitally.
“For one assignment, we had to make our own web page,” Chapman says. “It was just amazing how Dr. Cheek helped me. When I had questions, he was there for a Zoom call. He really pushed me.”
Overcoming Challenges
Though being an online student — both at SoLAcc and UL Lafayette — made school convenient for Chapman, it didn’t make the work any less challenging.
Chapman particularly struggled with MGMT 382: Operations Management. He was originally set to graduate in Fall 2023, but four courses and a job on top of MGMT 382 proved to be a lot.
“The course for me was just really mind-blowing,” he says. “It blended a lot of business with statistics. I had a hard time grasping the concepts.”
So, he delayed his graduation by a semester to focus on the course by itself and visited The Learning Center for additional support.
“The tutor I worked with, Zoe LeBoeuf, was great,” he says. “She broke everything down so well. With each exam, I just did better and better. It felt really good.”
Finding Community & Support
Being an online student at UL Lafayette didn’t stop Chapman from immersing himself in the college experience that he previously missed out on.
He purchased the Campus Connection Plan each semester, giving him access to the University’s recreation center and to campus activities like Intramural Sports.
“It was nice to be able to do some of the college activities — going to football games, playing rec sports — while working and doing what I needed to do,” he says. “The guys on my intramural basketball team would be surprised when I’d tell them I was in my 30s!”
And Chapman found a study partner in his sister, who’s working toward her degree online at another university. The two often completed their schoolwork together, bouncing ideas for their assignments off each other.
“There was a moment where I thought I wasn’t going to graduate,” he says. “My mom would always tell me, ‘Son, it’s going to be okay. You just have to find your way, figure things out, and give it time.’”
Looking Ahead
Now that he’s finished, Chapman is already thinking about what’s next — and encouraging the students he coaches to do the same.
Attending Commencement alongside graduate business students in the University’s MBA program and M.S. in Accounting program, he felt inspired to one day be one of them.
“Seeing those black gowns and hoods — I know if I pushed myself through my bachelor’s I can do the same for my master’s,” he says. “I want to go back to earn my MBA now.”
“I always tell the kids I coach that it’s OK if you want to get into the workforce, but you have to get an education. Whether it’s online, on campus, I don’t care. Just get an education.”
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