Tomi Charleville credits fate for leading her to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette BSBA in Management online degree program.
“I knew that I wanted to finish my degree in order to be able to pursue a career that I really wanted,” Charleville says.
The Fall 2020 graduate says she’s doing just that now that she has her bachelor’s in business.
Stepping Back to Move Ahead
Charleville enrolled at UL Lafayette in 2014 after graduating high school in Pointe Coupee Parish. She was pursuing her management degree in UL Lafayette’s B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration when she decided to take a year off.
During that time, she began working with a community health organization with clinics throughout Pointe Coupee Parish. Although she was ready to complete her bachelor’s degree, she didn’t want to step away from her position.
Charleville was researching different schools and programs, but says she wanted to finish her degree through UL Lafayette, “because that was home to me.”
“I was really wanting to go back to school, but I was working full time at a job that I love,” says Charleville. “When I saw the online management program, it was just perfect for me, especially because I live an hour away. It was almost like fate. UL Lafayette had just started the program and that's exactly what I needed.”
Charleville was motivated to finish her degree because she loves her company, but her earning potential and professional development were limited without a degree. By enrolling in the UL Lafayette online bachelor’s degree program, she’s already advanced from reception to finance as an accounts payable specialist.
“The company that I work for has seen my hard work in the last two years, and I've been able to move up," she says. “They have been moving me into that role since April because they knew I was getting a degree, and they wanted me to be able to have a future in the company.”
Learning Her Way
Going to classes had always been a struggle for Charleville. She couldn’t concentrate during lectures and found herself working harder outside of class.
She says online courses were a great fit for her learning style.
“It was my ideal way to learn, and I didn't have to worry about missing class or worry about the commute," she says. "It's just convenient to be able to pace yourself. Working full time, I was able to get things done on the weekend or after work. It was just ideal.”
Charleville says she lived by her desk calendar, adding all assignment deadlines at the beginning of the semester so she could see at-a-glance what she needed to do any given day.
“You have to keep up with it yourself; no one’s there to constantly remind you when things are due,” she says. “The syllabus tells you exactly when things are due at the start of the semester, so nothing’s a surprise.”
Gaining Momentum
Charleville says with her bachelor’s degree under her belt, she’s in a good position to grow as she works closely with her company’s chief financial officer.
She said she’s now looking into MBA programs to continue her momentum.
“I am going to see myself as a successful businesswoman now; I want to be the manager or CEO of an organization that I care about, whether it's where I am now or branching out,” she says. “Either way, I'll be using my degree.”