Meet Devon: Always Cutting Edge

Whether at work, in school or through volunteer activities, AIU Online graduate Devon isn't afraid to try something new when not happy with more traditional options.

The fall after graduating from high school, Devon enrolled in a community college. Since she was already working full-time, Devon's only option was night class. After two semesters however, she was frustrated by the overcrowded classes and by how hard it was to get the classes she wanted, and needed, to graduate with her Associate's degree. She began looking into other degree programs, including those at AIU Online.

Although somewhat skeptical at first of a purely online program, Devon did like how flexible AIU Online was and decided to try it. "I decided I would just give it a try. If I wasn't happy I could always transfer back to a brick-and-mortar school. AIU Online is fully accredited and the credits are transferable." Having been unable to get her Associate's degree at the community college, Devon worked at completing it at AIU Online. After graduating with her Associate of Arts in Business Administration, Devon took a few months off and, having realized she was getting a first-rate online education, came back to AIU Online to get her Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Operations Management.

"I knew I was getting a quality education after just a few classes. The projects we were assigned were challenging and I was learning a great amount. When you've taken college-level courses elsewhere and you've gone to a competitive high school, you can recognize when you are learning something. I was definitely learning at AIU."

Partway through her Associate's degree at AIU Online, Devon was presented with an amazing professional opportunity. Previously, she had worked in accounting, but took a new job, which involved launching the first California facility for a firm that already had several branches in other states. This new job required Devon to lead the California team, secure new customer relationships and contracts, and control purchasing, public relations, workflow and financial management.

"It was a unique ground floor opportunity that was challenging because I had not completed a project like it before and I had to learn as I came along."

Devon continues to work at the same job today. She says part of the reason she was able to get a job in management with this company was that she was working towards her Associate's degree and had plans to get her Bachelor's degree.

"With the world the way that it is, you need to have a degree to advance professionally and earn a good salary. I guess you could work your way up, but that takes too long. I wanted to get an education that I could start applying right away."

Even though Devon now has her Bachelor's degree and her job continues to challenge her, she isn't stopping her education. She started an MBA in Global Business program at one of the country's top traditional, brick-and-mortar universities this fall. Devon was even awarded a scholarship by the university's Scholarship Committee. (Devon graduated from AIU Online with a 4.0 GPA and was given the 2006 National Dean's List Award.)

"I'm not the only one who recognizes the value of an online education. The traditional university I am now enrolled in was able to recognize the quality of the AIU Online program and didn't have any concerns with the degrees I earned online. The fact that I got a partial scholarship shows they were impressed with my academic records from AIU Online."

Although Devon has made the switch back to a traditional school for her MBA, she says her days at AIU Online left her a better student. "It takes a certain amount of discipline to go to school online and I still have the discipline that I gained at AIU Online with me now. Thanks to AIU, I am better at figuring things out on my own and am much more resourceful."

With her own higher education now taken care of, Devon makes sure to take time to help young students. She is a volunteer tutor and coordinator for her local chapter of School on Wheels, a non-profit focused on furthering educational opportunities for homeless children. When she first joined the organization, there was no established branch in her county. Devon worked with another volunteer to begin activities there. This new program now has eight volunteers teaching over 50 kids and continues to grow.

It wouldn't be surprising to find some of these kids, inspired by Devon's dedication and determination, in college themselves in a few years.

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