2010 Ecampus Graduates

Alana Fulmer

B.S. General Agriculture
Wetumpka, Alabama

Sheila Allen

What does completing your degree mean to you? How do you feel it will improve your life and career? I will be the first grandchild in my family to complete a college degree. This not only means a lot to me, this also means a lot to my parents and grandparents. I quit school after my first year of college, to work in the family business. I was finally encouraged enough to begin my college career again. I am so very proud to say that I will be a college graduate on June 12, 2010. This degree will help me to excel in my future career plans, and that is very important to me. I am currently working in the agriculture field, and hope to pursue the title of Alabama Ag Commissioner. I also hope to open a family-owned nursery/farm in my area. The education I have received at OSU helped me to obtain valuable information for my future plans. Without the knowledge that accompanies this degree, I would not be able to fully pursue these dreams. I do not think that I could efficiently represent Alabama agriculture and raise healthy crops without my educational background from OSU.

Why did you choose to complete your degree online through OSU Extended Campus? What did you like about this method of education?  I chose to complete my degree online here at OSU Ecampus because of the flexibility it offered. Before enrolling in the Ag program at OSU, I was presently working full-time with the State of Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries. I did not want to give up my benefits of working full-time, just to go back to school full-time. This decision led me to online classes. I searched on the web for schools that would offer degrees online, and found several. At that point, I had only planned to begin as a part-time student. I had several school options for this degree, but something about OSU stood out to me. The website was very helpful and informative, and the staff was friendly and helpful as well. I registered for my first classes, and it went from there.

This method of education is wonderful for people with full-time jobs who want to get an education without sacrificing their job. I liked that I had the freedom to learn when and where I wanted. I could work on assignments on the weekends, at work, and even in my free time. Flexibility was very important to me, and that was exactly what OSU Ecampus offered.

Did you have an instructor or advisor who was influential in helping you succeed as a distance student? I have had a few advisors throughout my years at OSU, but the best one has been Dan Jansen. He has helped me tremendously, especially through the last few "critical" terms. He willingly answered any question I threw at him, and was very honest and constructive in response. Choosing classes is hard enough in a normal setting, but being a distance student and not being able to personally talk to an advisor face to face is even more difficult. I can positively say that Mr. Jansen definitely helped me to succeed as a distance student.

What will your Ecampus degree allow you to do that you were unable to do before? This degree will allow me to quickly advance in my career field. Being a state employee, there are several prerequisites one must meet in order to qualify for a certain job. Most of the job titles I would like to move into have the prerequisite of a Bachelor's degree. Before, I was limited to the job titles that I could apply for, now that I have that degree, I will be able to move into a solid job title. This degree will also allow me to advance my income and benefits. Maybe not as important to everyone, but this degree will also give me the ability to say that I am a college graduate with a Bachelor's Degree!

Back to 2010 Ecampus Graduate Profiles.

Learn more about our online B.S. in General Agriculture.

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