Courtney Elliott Thrasher was not your typical student waiting to find out if she got into college. At 37, Courtney worried her neighbors might think she was crazy when the large envelope from The University of Alabama arrived and she broke down crying in her driveway. “Congratulations! You’ve been accepted,” it read.
“Alabama has always been my dream school, so when I got my acceptance letter for the Bachelor of Science in Human Environmental Sciences — Early Childhood Education, I lost it. I said, ‘Oh my God, I got in. I got in!’ And I ran to show my daughters first. They were excited for me, but their first question was, ‘Do we get to meet Big Al?’”
Courtney is a mother to four daughters who range in age from two to 18. She is also a full-time substitute teacher in two different school systems in Georgia. She plans to use her degree to work with infant, toddler and preschool children to help them develop a passion for learning so they can realize their full potential.
She began her journey of returning to school seven years ago through a local institution but learned quickly that the traditional school format did not fit her life.
“I didn’t have time to actually go to a classroom for my education,” she explained. “I needed something where I could do my coursework while my girls were asleep at night. My school time is when they’re asleep, because that’s the only quiet time in my life.” She saw some commercials for a for-profit online university option and began pursuing it.
“When I first started, everything was OK. But then they just became less and less helpful,” she remembered. “I had four or five different academic advisers, and every time, I had to re-explain my entire story to them. Every issue took months to resolve, and it became redundant to me. I’ve always admired my dad, and he went to Alabama for his master’s degree and did some of it online, so I said, ‘You know what? Why don’t I just call Alabama and see if that’s an option for me?’”
After contacting UA Online, she was assured there were degree programs flexible enough for her life. And her experience with faculty and staff at the University have contrasted starkly with her experience at the for-profit institution she transferred from.
When she told her adviser, Kelly Schaefers, about her past experience with scattered staff and faculty who were hard to reach, Courtney said that Mrs. Schaefers promised her, “That is not how we do things at Alabama. Our professors and instructors, all of us, are passionate about students, and that’s why we’re here — to help you.” Courtney said her first phone call with Mrs. Schaefers really “put her at ease” and every interaction she’s had with faculty or staff has proven that promise true.
“My youngest daughter has special medical issues, and for the first year of her life, we spent a lot of time at Scottish Rite Hospital. They have a computer lab where I would do some of my schoolwork,” Courtney said. She stayed on top of her assignments, but she remembers that faculty and staff were understanding, with Mrs. Schaefers asking immediately how she could help.
“Alabama feels like family,” Courtney said.
Her coursework in the Early Childhood Education program has already been something she’s been able to apply to her personal and professional life, helping her understand the behaviors of her own children and her students at school. “It has changed my mentality and my approach with how I respond to them, giving me a foundational understanding of the ‘why’ behind certain behaviors,” she said.
As she prepares for a career in the classroom and cares for her children with an enhanced understanding of their developmental stages, she understands that she is modeling an important lesson for her daughters. And they’re proud of their mom.
“That’s one thing I want to show not only my kids, but other kids, you know? It doesn’t matter how old you are or where you come from — anything is possible. If you want it bad enough and push yourself, you can do anything.”
Published: August 30th, 2020