John Gros was living the dream.
He'd settled down with his high school sweetheart, Mallory, in his hometown of Luling, Louisiana, raising their two young children, ages 5 and 3.
But something kept gnawing at him.
Gros enrolled in college after he graduated high school in 2004, but he hadn杏吧专区檛 completed his degree.
杏吧专区淚 was 17 years old, so I was very young,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淢y perspective about school then was that it was irrelevant; I didn杏吧专区檛 care at all.杏吧专区
That all changed in Summer 2023 when Gros, now 36, earned his Bachelor of General Studies, gaining a new perspective on himself and education.
杏吧专区淚 just feel I grew as a person taking online classes. It杏吧专区檚 a really good feeling for me,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚 feel like I accomplished something, and I杏吧专区檝e actually applied to get my MBA.杏吧专区
Third Time杏吧专区檚 the Charm
The 杏吧专区 wasn杏吧专区檛 Gros杏吧专区 first stop on the way to his bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree.
After his initial stint at a four-year university after high school, he re-enrolled but found school had become harder to fit into his life.
杏吧专区淚 had a new job, and Mallory was pregnant with our first child,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淲e had a lot going on, and it didn杏吧专区檛 really work out.杏吧专区
Mallory, as it happens, is a UL Lafayette alumna. So, when her husband started revisiting the idea of earning his bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree online, she encouraged him to look at her alma mater.
"I talked to an advisor at UL Lafayette, and she told me about the program, where if you are over a certain age and you're out of school a certain time, you get a discounted tuition rate,杏吧专区 Gros says. 杏吧专区淪o I went that route, and it was all uphill from there. I realized that UL Lafayette really cared about their students.杏吧专区
And that support continued as Gros enrolled in his online courses.
杏吧专区淚 didn't run into a single instructor that wasn't willing to help me,杏吧专区 says Gros. 杏吧专区淭hey were very understanding about my situation 杏吧专区 about working and having kids or being sick. Actually, our house was messed up during Hurricane Ida, and every single one of them helped me out.杏吧专区
New Perspective, Endless Possibility
The 杏吧专区 offers five online undergraduate degree programs. For Gros, the Bachelor of General Studies was the right fit to leverage his applicable credits to finish his degree and to build a curriculum that aligned with his interests.
杏吧专区淚 enjoyed it because I could take classes I was interested in. I didn't have a certain curriculum I had to follow to the T,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淗ealth always interested in me, so I took a lot of health and psychology classes.杏吧专区
While Gros relished his online courses in child psychology and even statistics, staying on top of coursework alongside his other priorities was an ongoing challenge.
杏吧专区淚t was tough trying to balance everything 杏吧专区 being a husband, father, worker, son,杏吧专区 says Gros. 杏吧专区淚 remember my first math test. I had to work the day shift, my daughter had her first dance recital that night, and I think the test was due at 10 p.m. So as soon as I got home from the recital, I had to run upstairs and take the test.杏吧专区
Working shift work in his role with Shell Norco 杏吧专区 12-hour, rotating shifts 杏吧专区 meant Gros was able to create blocks of focused time on his days off to tackle coursework. But while that worked well for him as an online student, he杏吧专区檚 imagining a new future for himself as a dad.
杏吧专区淚 just want to have a better life for my children,杏吧专区 he says. 杏吧专区淚 just don't want to have that discussion with my kids when they get older why I wasn杏吧专区檛 there for the state championship baseball game or, you know, my daughter's dance recital. I want to be there for them, and I want to be present in their lives.杏吧专区
And with his bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree in hand and his MBA applications wrapped up, Gros feels prepared to take the steps to make that happen.
杏吧专区淭here杏吧专区檚 so many different routes I can take 杏吧专区 human resources, management, analytics,杏吧专区 says Gros. 杏吧专区淭he opportunities are endless.杏吧专区