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I thought I would introduce you to another of our staff members here in the bachelor's advising office this week because she is someone who completed her degree with us while working here. If anyone understands what it is like to be a student in the College of Liberal Studies, it's Jennifer Gatlin. Here she is, in her own words.
My educational journey began like many students in the College of Liberal Studies. When I was in high school I did fairly well, hitting the honor roll enough times to hold my head high and simply assumed that college was in my future. After graduating, I decided to take a semester off and get a job while deciding what I wanted to do with my life.
Well, that one semester quickly turned into four-and-a half-years! I always intended to start on my degree, but life had fallen into a sort of stall pattern and I just never got the shove that I needed to make me take action. That is, until one evening when I was visiting with my mother-in-law and she said, “Jennifer, time will pass whether you do anything with it or not,” and it really hit home.
I think within a month of that conversation I had enrolled in my first courses at Oklahoma City Community College. What she said to me has become a mantra that I have tried to live by ever since.
When I joined the CLS staff in 2004, I boasted six college credits on my resume. I continued to take courses at OCCC in the evenings and on weekends as I became acquainted with, and talked to, other people about the CLS program. Eventually, I actually saw the liberal studies program working for people! I would attend our convocation ceremonies and recognize the names of graduates as they crossed the stage and recall conversations I had with them as prospective students. That was really inspiring.
In 2006 I enrolled in the 100 percent online bachelor’s in liberal studies program and never looked back. During the next three years I steadily worked my way through the program while” life” continued to happen. I maintained a full-time job, kept the home fires burning while my husband was mobilized for a year-long deployment to Afghanistan, relocated upon his return and had a baby all by the time I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree in 2009.
In the criminal justice program I had the opportunity to learn more about our criminal justice systems than I ever had before. I reviewed and critiqued numerous case studies, learned about true crime scene processing techniques, and how to provide analytical analysis to debated issues in the criminal justice system – not so easy to do without letting my personal opinion cloud my judgment! I even had the opportunity to learn about criminal justice systems on a global level and compare our processes to those of other countries and to discuss how those differences impact global law enforcement initiatives. The things I learned in this program allowed me to see the bigger picture and look at individual processes and decisions with a more objective point of view, which is a valuable tool in every facet of life.
Earning my degree has meant so much to me. Not only has it opened a window of opportunity for me to explore new passions, but just as importantly, it has shown me that when I commit to a goal, I truly can see it through. That is a life lesson not easily forgotten. - Jennifer Gatlin, College of Liberal Studies Student Services Assistant,Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, 2009
My educational journey began like many students in the College of Liberal Studies. When I was in high school I did fairly well, hitting the honor roll enough times to hold my head high and simply assumed that college was in my future. After graduating, I decided to take a semester off and get a job while deciding what I wanted to do with my life.
Well, that one semester quickly turned into four-and-a half-years! I always intended to start on my degree, but life had fallen into a sort of stall pattern and I just never got the shove that I needed to make me take action. That is, until one evening when I was visiting with my mother-in-law and she said, “Jennifer, time will pass whether you do anything with it or not,” and it really hit home.
I think within a month of that conversation I had enrolled in my first courses at Oklahoma City Community College. What she said to me has become a mantra that I have tried to live by ever since.
When I joined the CLS staff in 2004, I boasted six college credits on my resume. I continued to take courses at OCCC in the evenings and on weekends as I became acquainted with, and talked to, other people about the CLS program. Eventually, I actually saw the liberal studies program working for people! I would attend our convocation ceremonies and recognize the names of graduates as they crossed the stage and recall conversations I had with them as prospective students. That was really inspiring.
In 2006 I enrolled in the 100 percent online bachelor’s in liberal studies program and never looked back. During the next three years I steadily worked my way through the program while” life” continued to happen. I maintained a full-time job, kept the home fires burning while my husband was mobilized for a year-long deployment to Afghanistan, relocated upon his return and had a baby all by the time I graduated with my Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree in 2009.
In the criminal justice program I had the opportunity to learn more about our criminal justice systems than I ever had before. I reviewed and critiqued numerous case studies, learned about true crime scene processing techniques, and how to provide analytical analysis to debated issues in the criminal justice system – not so easy to do without letting my personal opinion cloud my judgment! I even had the opportunity to learn about criminal justice systems on a global level and compare our processes to those of other countries and to discuss how those differences impact global law enforcement initiatives. The things I learned in this program allowed me to see the bigger picture and look at individual processes and decisions with a more objective point of view, which is a valuable tool in every facet of life.
Earning my degree has meant so much to me. Not only has it opened a window of opportunity for me to explore new passions, but just as importantly, it has shown me that when I commit to a goal, I truly can see it through. That is a life lesson not easily forgotten. - Jennifer Gatlin, College of Liberal Studies Student Services Assistant,Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice, 2009
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