2010 Ecampus Graduates

Katie Rodgers

B.S. General Agriculture
Tulsa, Okla.

Like most other high school seniors, Katie Rodgers dreamed of going to college. She was excited to study Agriculture, live away from home, and make her dreams become a reality. Although Katie had to work harder than some to make that happen, she was determined to create a better future for herself.

"I worked one job before school and another job after in order to make ends meet. After high school graduation in 2002, I started taking college classes, and it has been a long, hard road... but here I am", said Rodgers.

Katie continued her studies, carrying a full course load each term in hopes of becoming an Officer in the Marine Corps when she received her degree. Katie later married an Army Drill Sergeant, and with that came unexpected and frequent relocations. She soon realized that in order to earn the degree she wanted and needed, that her school was going to have to move with her.

"I wanted a degree in Agriculture, which I planned on using after my military service, and OSU was one of the few schools at the time that offered the online degree I was looking for. Before I knew it, I was a full-time student at Oregon State University... though I had never been to Oregon", Katie told us.

Katie kept working toward her degree, no matter how many things in her life were constantly changing. To add to her busy load, the Rodgers were surprised to learn that they were expecting a little girl.

"I had a choice to make and decided that the Marine Corps could do without me, but my little girl could not. I had to let one dream go in order to change the diapers of a new dream, but because of Ecampus, I was able to continue taking classes."

Katie's story is quite similar to many other Ecampus students. Needing to balance working full time with raising a family, and fulfilling the desire to earn a college degree is what makes Ecampus the perfect, and sometimes the only, choice for so many others.

Katie perfectly summed up what Ecampus stands for, "No matter what happened or how often we moved, Ecampus always fit," said Rodgers.

Back to 2010 Ecampus Graduate Profiles.

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