2011 OSU Ecampus graduates

Dazzia Szczepaniak – A little bragging never hurt anyone

B.S. Liberal Studies
Eugene, Ore.

What does completing your degree mean to you? How do you feel it will improve your life and career?
Completing my degree is a culmination of years of hard work. Being a single mother who has worked full-time throughout my entire academic career has been quite the challenge and, at times, I have thought that I might not be able to pull it all off. However, with determination and patience I have managed to not only complete my degree but maintain a 3.98 GPA throughout all of my years of college. It means that I have accomplished something that I can be proud of modeling for my children.

Why did you choose to complete your degree online through OSU Extended Campus? What did you like about this method of education?
I chose OSU Extended Campus because of the flexibility that it allowed. With a full-time job and full-time family, it would have been near impossible to complete my degree on-campus. In addition to the above mentioned responsibilities, I live in a very rural location and would have to travel several hours to get to any college or university. The freedom and flexibility of Ecampus classes are what I liked the most. I also enjoyed getting to know people from all over the world who were also taking classes through Ecampus.

Did you have an instructor or advisor who was influential in helping you succeed as a distance student?
There were two instructors who I felt were very participatory in their classes: Madronna Holden and Mark Reed. My advisor, Kelly Kneece, was also very helpful in promptly answering any questions that came up for me.

What will your Ecampus degree allow you to do that you were unable to do before?
For starters, my Ecampus degree will allow me to continue on to get my master's degree. In addition, it will expand my employment opportunities and enable me to apply for jobs that I would not otherwise be eligible for without a degree. Lastly, this degree will give me "bragging rights" in my family, as I will be the first one to complete a college degree!

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