Back to School – For You
How four milspouses made their education a reality.
by Michelle Cuthrell
Air Force wife Andrea Dozier thought she had no time for a degree when she received orders to PCS. Not only did she have a nursing baby and an active duty husband, the base was not close to a college that offered a graphic design program.
“It was lonely to live a thousand miles from home, and my husband was away for training most of the day. I started to wonder what we would do when deployments or long TDYs would come in the future,” said Dozier, who currently resides at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. “I love being his biggest supporter, but as a military wife, I understood that we have to be capable of finding happiness and fulfillment in our marriages and in ourselves.”
So Dozier made arrangements for her child and enrolled at Sinclair Community College full-time for one year to earn her associate’s degree in graphic design. Her husband’s commander even made arrangements for him to work occasional irregular hours when her class schedule conflicted with his work schedule.
“The military has a very strong influence on our lives, but it does not need to prohibit our personal growth or ambitions,” she said.
MEET KATIE
Army wife Katie Finnegan moved with her husband from her home town in Wisconsin to Fort Bragg, N.C. She scored a job as a behavioral therapist but needed a certification in applied behavior analysis to become a board-certified assistant behavioral analyst. She used a Career Advancement Account to pay for online classes at Florida Institute of Technology, which she needed to earn her certification.
“Take advantage of resources offered by the military to fund education,” said Finnegan, who’s currently stationed at Ft. Bragg, where she works as a behavioral therapist for autistic children.
MEET CARA
After 11 years of military life, Cara Cunningham decided to use a Career Advancement Account to return to school and pursue a degree in Exercise Science: Wellness and Health. Her goal is to acquire a job at a gym and then later, after her family’s final PCS move, start her own business as a personal trainer, and possibly own her own gym.
She has been married to her husband, Cord, since 1998. They have two children, Cameron, 10, and Carsen, 6. In 2001, after losing more than 60 pounds (no, not baby fat), she found the love of the gym and last year, began competing in triathlons, which evolved into training for a half marathon this summer. “This love of competition has made me understand my next step in pursuit of a career in fitness,” she said. “Patience is the most important part of pursuing an education. It may be a daunting task in both money and time but having a life outside of being a military spouse can pay off.”
MEET LUANN:
“The only way I could make it work was to get a degree with completely online programs,” said LuAnn Poti, an Army wife currently stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash., who is currently pursuing an online degree in psychology from Walden University.
Poti cautioned other spouses to do their homework before signing up for webcam classes.
“The important part about going to an online university is making sure that it is reputable and accredited,” she said. “My brother in law happened to go to Walden for the same field and was able to get work with his degree.” She is confident that, upon graduation, no matter the station, she will, too.
Poti is a five-year Army wife stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash. with her husband and 3-year-old child. She graduated from the University of Hawaii in 2006 and is now completing her doctoral degree in counseling psychology.