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’s List one semester.
But with time, she became homesick. So, she packed her bags and moved back to Lafayette, enrolling at UL Lafayette — the university she grew up around — 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’s Bachelor of General Studies online program.
“Both of my parents attended UL Lafayette, but unfortunately, they did not finish,” she says. “Finishing 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, ‘Thank you, sister.’”
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.
“My job has taken me all over — Michigan, Ohio, New Orleans,” she says. “I 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.”
Despite her difficult work schedule, Johnson managed to balance it all — work, family, and school — with self-discipline and transparency with her loved ones.
“I 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,” she recalls. “School was part of my job.”
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.
“And, of course, I had some late nights and all-nighters here and there, too,” 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.
“They pushed me. They wanted me to do well,” Johnson recalls. “My friends encouraged me, too. My friend Gabrielle even made me a custom planner so I could keep track of things.”
This support didn’t just come from Johnson’s personal network.
At the University, 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.
“Ashley on the Online Student Support Team was great,” Johnson says. “She 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.”
This also included her advisor in the University College, who met with her each semester to help her plan her courseload for the next semester and keep her on track to graduate.
“My advisor, Dwan, was great, too,” Johnson says. “I was very transparent with her that I wanted to graduate and that I didn’t want to keep pushing myself back. She understood what I wanted and encouraged me and helped me to get to that.”
“I found that as an online student, I got so much support, and I felt much less intimidated about asking questions than I did before.”
Looking Ahead
Now that Johnson’s reached her goal and earned her bachelor’s degree, she’s ready to pursue her next goal: returning to the classroom as a teacher. She’s currently in the early stages of researching alternative teacher certification programs.
“I want to work in education and work with kids,” Johnson says. “I worked at a daycare once, and I’ve done substitute teaching. Being around kids and helping educate them is something I think I would enjoy.”
Her advice to peers? Be proud of your degree and field of study.
“People think that general studies is a degree for people who don’t know what they want to do,” she says. “That’s not the case. They just don’t 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.”
“The general studies degree is so versatile. If you’re entering this program, just go for it, because it doesn’t mean that you’re undecisive. It just means you’re exploring and learning new things along the way.”
Finish what you started and explore new opportunities with our Bachelor of General Studies online program.
