Richard Young wanted to finish the bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree he杏吧专区檇 had on hold for 20 years.
His daughter, Angelique Young, wanted a new direction and career opportunities.
Their unique needs led them to the same path: the Bachelor of General Studies online at the 杏吧专区.
Now the father-daughter Ragin杏吧专区 Grads are looking forward to celebrating their achievements together.
杏吧专区淲hen we discovered that Angelique would be graduating in December, I basically sat out during the summer and took my last class this semester, so that we can graduate together,杏吧专区 says Richard.
Right Time, Right Fit
The idea of completing his bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree had been buzzing in Richard杏吧专区檚 head for years, but without a way to earn his degree while working full time and being present for his children, it was just background noise. 
Then in 2020, Richard saw an ad for 杏吧专区 a UL System initiative to help Louisiana residents with college credits complete their degrees at a reduced tuition rate.
杏吧专区淚 think that I had run out of excuses not to go back and finish, and then this cost-effective solution introduced itself,杏吧专区 he says.
And so, in early 2021, Richard enrolled in the Business Studies concentration of the General Studies online.
杏吧专区淚 discovered that it was all going to be available 100% online, and that it would be self-paced with deadlines, so I could set my own schedule as long as I met that deadline,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淎nd it just fit, it worked really well.杏吧专区
Motivated and Moving Forward
While Richard was returning to school after decades working in the IT industry, Angelique moved directly into the general studies program from an on-campus program.
Angelique enrolled at UL Lafayette in 2018 as a freshman with her sights set on teaching.
Eventually, she realized that wasn杏吧专区檛 the path for her, and she was struggling as a result.
杏吧专区淪ince making the decision to switch majors, I杏吧专区檝e spent a lot of time feeling a mix between scared and excited for my future,杏吧专区 says Angelique. However, 杏吧专区渟ince switching, these are the best grades I杏吧专区檝e had throughout my past four and a half years.杏吧专区
The primary reason General Studies has been such a relief for Angelique is now she feels she has a much broader range of opportunities ahead.
杏吧专区淕eneral Studies online was perfect for me during this time because instead of having to schedule my life around school, I could schedule school around my life,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淭his gave me time to figure out what I actually want to do next.杏吧专区
Balancing Online Coursework
Richard and Angelique each chose degree concentrations that dovetailed with their previous experiences and goals. For Richard, that meant focusing on business studies while Angelique pursued behavioral science.
Although they chose unique paths, the two developed similar strategies for managing their coursework.
For Richard, the key to balancing work, having one child still at home, and a social life, and his classes was to 杏吧专区渢ake it a week at a time,杏吧专区 he says.
杏吧专区淢y habit was to sit down on Sunday, and I would go through deadlines for that week, and compare them to responsibilities I had at work, if there was something going on with [my daughter] Isabelle that I had to either attend or get her to, if I had a social responsibility, and I just did the best that I could to plan all of those things.杏吧专区
Hearing her dad杏吧专区檚 strategy as the two talked through their experiences, Angelique immediately recognized her own approach.
杏吧专区淭hat was kind of how I started to do things, too,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淢y boyfriend is in the military. So, if there杏吧专区檚 a weekend coming up when I know that he杏吧专区檒l be able to come to town or I would go to see him, I would do the exact same thing. Look at all my deadlines, like, 杏吧专区楬ow do I get all of this done so that when it comes time for the weekend, I don杏吧专区檛 have to worry about any of it?杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿
Although they never got to take a class together, they did take the same organizational leadership class during different terms and were able to bond over what they learned.
杏吧专区淭he last couple of times that we were in person together, we杏吧专区檝e been able to relate a lot more,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淗aving shared experiences, I think that gives us some rapport.杏吧专区
Setting New Goals
Richard and Angelique both came to General Studies online as a means to an end. They杏吧专区檙e now seeing there杏吧专区檚 much more beyond the finish line.
杏吧专区淚 did not have any plans for seeking a higher degree when I first entered the General Studies online program,杏吧专区 Richard says. 杏吧专区淭hat has changed.杏吧专区
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檓 looking at master杏吧专区檚 degrees in healthcare information management, because it will continue to help me in the industry that I杏吧专区檓 in,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淧lus, when retirement comes, I love the idea of going back into the classroom to teach.杏吧专区
In seeing her dad杏吧专区檚 drive for his education and career, and in having more options to explore after the General Studies program, Angelique also surprised herself with a fresh desire for graduate school.
杏吧专区淟ong term, I plan on following in my dad杏吧专区檚 steps by finding and starting down a career path that I enjoy, then pursuing a master杏吧专区檚 degree in that field,杏吧专区 she says.
As Fall 2022 commencement nears, Richard is excited about his own accomplishments and his future, but it杏吧专区檚 safe to say all emotions are eclipsed by his fatherly pride.
杏吧专区淚 believe Angelique discovered she has a more powerful and willful spirit than she had given herself credit for,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚 am so proud of the adult she has become, and I look forward to watching her continue her life杏吧专区檚 journey.杏吧专区