Frank Konopatski
Associate of Arts in Business Administration
BSCJ – Current student
Meet Frank Konopatski
Early in his life, Frank Konopatski set three goals for himself: Serving in the military, becoming a police officer and earning a college degree. "The first two came easy for me when I enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a Military Police Officer in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). Earning a college degree was more difficult due to deployments, field exercises, extremely long hours and other aspects of military life. When I returned home from serving in Iraq I had my third goal in mind, but I thought it would be impossible with the amount of time that I was dedicating to my military commitment. Then I discovered AIU Online and my outlook quickly changed for the better."
Frank discovered AIU Online toward the end of his military service through an online ad. He was skeptical at first. "Earning a college degree from an accredited university within an accelerated time frame in a completely online format sounded too good to be true. Nonetheless, I inquired and I was very impressed. I chose to enroll for two reasons - accreditation and acceleration. Accreditation is extremely valuable to me because it helps determine the value of my degree." American InterContinental University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association. Additional information is available at 312-263-0456 or www.ncahigherlearningcommission.org. "Acceleration was an important factor for me because I got a late start with higher education due to my military career and I wanted to catch up with my friends who went to college immediately after high school. Furthermore, I knew that the faster I earned a degree, the faster the opportunities and benefits that accompany it would come."
Frank began his courses through AIU Online while serving in the military and is currently employed overseas working in security at the New American Embassy in China. "I work 12 hours a day for six to seven days at a time and traffic can cause it to take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour for me to get home, which leaves little free time. The work I do in China is also described as ‘intense, under harsh and stressful conditions.' The flexibility of online learning not only allowed me to pursue my educational goals in these conditions, but also excel in my courses and in my profession. My instructors have a vast amount of knowledge, education and experience, which made my learning experience enjoyable as well as educational. The course materials are not only interesting, but also pertain to real-life and current events. I find my courses with AIU Online very personal, very relevant to my career and very beneficial. Overall, it is a great learning experience!"
Frank is particularly impressed with AIU Online's Virtual Campus. "The Virtual Campus is incredible! It is extremely user friendly, even for individuals that are inexperienced with computers. The format allows easy access to courses, course materials and information regarding degree programs. The administrative departments that would be spread out in various buildings on a traditional campus are accessible through one main menu. I found the online tutorial and tour of the Virtual Campus very informative. There is also an extremely helpful technical support staff available around the clock to answer questions or help fix software or computer issues that may arise. Everything I need to be a successful student is literally at my fingertips with the Virtual Campus."
Frank already has an impressive list of achievements from his military and government service, including graduating Distinguished Honor Graduate from the Sabalauski Air Assault School at Fort Campbell, deployment overseas in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and graduating Distinguished Honor Graduate during the State Department Training for his current position in China. When asked to name his most significant professional accomplishment, however, Frank answers "without a doubt, it is graduating with an Associate's degree in Business Administration with a 4.0 GPA from American InterContinental University."
Earning an Associate's degree has had a positive impact on Frank's life in several ways. "I am extremely confident that earning a degree and maintaining perfect grades has helped me obtain my current overseas job, which also required a top secret security clearance and an intensive background check. I now have more responsibilities, which have led to a higher salary and I have more opportunities because I am qualified for more positions. I have an edge over others who do not have a college degree. I have been complimented by my peers and my superiors for my educational achievements. Achieving what once seemed difficult at best, if not impossible, has given me more self-respect and has inspired me to continue learning. My mother was unable to complete her college education due to an illness and I am the first one in my family to have earned a college degree. I will always remember how proud my mother was when I called her from China and told her that I earned a degree through AIU Online with perfect grades."
After completing an Associate's degree in Business Administration through AIU Online, Frank enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree program. He also plans to continue on and earn a Master's degree through AIU Online. "My career goals have always centered on helping people or my country. After enlisting in the military, my goal and dream was to work in federal law enforcement. A Bachelor's degree is an absolute must for that and now I am closer to achieving that goal than ever before. AIU Online has changed my life profoundly by helping me grow professionally, personally and by opening new doors of opportunity for me."
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