When Billie Mahoney first stepped onto UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 campus in 2003, she was 26, balancing motherhood and dreams of a medical career.
But life threw her curveballs, eventually pulling her away from her studies.
Fast forward two decades, and Mahoney found herself managing a Waffle House, raising four kids, and still yearning to finish what she had started.
小蝌蚪APP淚 met with an advisor last year, and they suggested I try an online program, being that I was working full time,小蝌蚪APP she says.
That conversation reignited her ambition, leading her back to UL Lafayette 小蝌蚪APP this time in the online General Studies program.
Early Ambitions and Life小蝌蚪APP檚 Detours
Mahoney小蝌蚪APP檚 academic journey started on a promising note as she double majored in biology and psychology with a pre-med focus.
小蝌蚪APP淚 had a wonderful freshman year,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 was recommended for an internship at the , and I worked with Dr. Daniel Povinelli doing behavioral studies with a group of chimpanzees.小蝌蚪APP
During that time, she also maintained a 4.0 GPA and earned a spot in Alpha Lambda Delta, a national honor society for first-year students.
However, by 2005, her circumstances changed drastically as she faced the challenges of a difficult divorce and the demands of single parenthood.
Despite the turmoil, she stayed in school, adjusting her course load to part-time while working to support her three children.
小蝌蚪APP淚t was quite the juggling act, but I wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 giving up小蝌蚪APP says Mahoney.
Yet, as 2009 approached, she was overwhelmed and made the difficult decision to put her education on hold.
She needed stability and found it in an unexpected career as a private investigator.
小蝌蚪APP淚 spent a lot of time in Dallas training, then I小蝌蚪APP檇 fly all over the country working undercover cases,小蝌蚪APP she says.
For five years, Mahoney thrived, but even as she built a successful career, the thought of finishing her degree never left her mind.
The Comeback
Years later, after re-marrying, welcoming a fourth child, and transitioning into restaurant management, Mahoney had a conversation that finally put her degree in reach.
小蝌蚪APP淚n 2023, my friend, who had also left school around the same time as me, decided to visit campus to see how many credits she had left,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淟o and behold, she had enough to graduate.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淪he encouraged me to go see how many credits I had left to graduate, but I knew I didn小蝌蚪APP檛 have enough.小蝌蚪APP
Yet, something pushed her to take a chance and reach out to an advisor.
That小蝌蚪APP檚 when she discovered UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 online General Studies program 小蝌蚪APP a customizable degree path that allowed her to apply many of the credits she小蝌蚪APP檇 already earned.
And in September 2023, Mahoney re-enrolled, ready to finish what she started two decades earlier.
Growing as an Online Student
Although the idea of returning to school after so many years was daunting, Mahoney found reassurance in the accessibility of the program.
小蝌蚪APP淭o be honest, I was a little nervous at first,小蝌蚪APP she says.
小蝌蚪APP淚 thought that it would be a huge adjustment, but it wasn小蝌蚪APP檛. It was really easy to navigate every platform. I didn小蝌蚪APP檛 have to search for anything. I signed onto my account, and everything was laid out for me.小蝌蚪APP
Still, Mahoney小蝌蚪APP檚 role as a restaurant manager meant that her days were often unpredictable. Starting her shift at 6:30 a.m., she小蝌蚪APP檇 never quite know when she小蝌蚪APP檇 be able to head home.
Yet, no matter how long the day stretched, she found a routine to balance her responsibilities.
小蝌蚪APP淎s soon as I小蝌蚪APP檇 get home from work, I would go straight into my room and do schoolwork,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淭hen I小蝌蚪APP檇 prepare some dinner or spend some time with my eight-year-old. And by 10 or 11 o小蝌蚪APP檆lock at night, I小蝌蚪APP檇 make myself go to sleep because I didn小蝌蚪APP檛 want to burn out.小蝌蚪APP
Her commitment to her routine paid off.
With flexible class schedules and accessible online platforms, Mahoney was able to stay on track with her degree and make new connections.
小蝌蚪APP淥ver the semesters, there were a couple of people I kept seeing in my classes,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚t was really cool getting to put the names to the faces at graduation.小蝌蚪APP
Finishing Strong
Now, with her bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree finally in hand after just 11 months of online study, Mahoney can小蝌蚪APP檛 help but reflect on how far she小蝌蚪APP檚 come.
小蝌蚪APP淚t took me 21 years to finish. I小蝌蚪APP檓 still in awe that I actually did this,小蝌蚪APP she says.
小蝌蚪APP淢y first semester on campus, I remember using the telephone dial-up to register for classes. It小蝌蚪APP檚 been neat to see the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 complete transition to modern technology.小蝌蚪APP
Her advice to others returning to school?
小蝌蚪APP淪tay organized and don小蝌蚪APP檛 give up on the bad days.小蝌蚪APP
Ready to take the next step in your education? Learn more about the online General Studies program today.
