Kaplan University
B.S. in Psychology, 2012

My name is Angela Ward. I am a 28-year-old Army wife and mother of four. We are stationed at Fort Benning, Georgia and my husband has been in the United States Army for 11 years. Something that almost no one knows about me is that I type one-handed. As a result of a stroke I had, I cannot functionally use my left hand, so everything I do is with my right hand.

I am currently in pursuit of a Bachelor's of Science degree in Psychology, with an emphasis in Applied Behavior Analysis, and my projected graduation date is February 2012. As a child, it was always my dream to further my education, to actually do something with myself. I want to set the best example possible for my four young children, and show them in the process that there is nothing life can throw at you that can stand in your way if you really want something, and if you are passionate about bettering yourself. There was a history in my family of everyone not finishing what they started, and I was determined to break that cycle.

In October 2004, I suffered six strokes and also a spinal cord injury. I was paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair for over a year. I was told that I would never walk again so at that point, I thought my life was over. My dreams of going onto college and making my family proud were shattered, and my life was changed forever, or so I thought.

My ultimate goal had always been to become a successful attorney; however, life happens when you are busy making other plans. I knew that I loved the concept of thought and how the mind works. To be quite honest, I had a true fascination with the mind, but of the criminal mind.

In September 2005, I gave birth to my son, who is now four years old and a high-functioning Autistic. He has since been receiving Applied Behavior Analysis therapy and I thought that it was a fascinating thing. At that point, I realized that my calling was elsewhere. I realized that I could still follow my fascinations with Psychology, study thought processes and such, and also learn things that may help me to help my son along his lifelong journey alongside Autism.

With my degree, I plan to further my education to Doctorate, and work toward a career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Behavior Analyst Unit, and if that is not possible, a Clinical Psychologist that works with the soldiers and other members of the Armed Forces. I truly enjoy giving back, and I thought to myself, “What better way than to give back to those that fight for my freedom to be who I am and all the luxuries that we all take for granted every day, including my degree?”

My friend had enrolled into Kaplan's Criminal Justice program, and had told me about it, as she was pretty excited to be finishing what she started. I put all of an hour of thought into it, and enrolled the same day that I called to request information. My Admissions Advisor, Gary Newton, was amazing. He stuck with me through the entire process and helped me to navigate the problems that arose. He also kept in close contact with me.

As a result of such a positive experience, I started my first term in May 2008. My first two classes were Academic Strategies and Contemporary Issues in Psychology. When I asked what the Academic Strategies course was about, my Admissions Advisor replied, “It's basically a course that teaches first-time college students how to be college students.” I heard that and thought to myself that this course was going to be stupid, or that I didn't need a course like that. After taking the course, I would highly recommend the course be offered to ALL students as their first course because I learned more about myself in that course alone than I learned the entire time I was in elementary, junior and high school. I loved it.

Since that first term, the courses have slowly progressed in the challenge department. I am part of the Honors Program, so there are more expectations, as well as extra projects that are due with certain courses. The workload can be a bit tedious, but I have definitely learned that everyone that has ever said “Anything in life worth having is never easy to get, and is a task in itself to keep” was completely accurate.

I chose Kaplan also because of the environment aspects. Being disabled, I have to think things through, and I had so many worries and a great deal of anxiety when I thought about traditional classroom settings. Would I be able to keep up with the physical demands of showing up? Would I be able to afford childcare? Would my husband be deploying soon and if so, what other arrangements would I need to make to still attend school? What would I do if I got into it, and the traditional scene proved to be too demanding and stressful and too much for me overall? I am not a quitter, so I weighed my options, and chose to enroll with Kaplan to alleviate the questions above, because with Kaplan, there is no stress of showing up, being stared at, physical limitations, or the stress of affording gas in the plummeting economy, as well as child care for four children.

I feel confident in my work and I have learned something new in every course. I am completely satisfied with my choice to join the greatest team of online learning, and I would recommend Kaplan University to anyone that wants to complete their lifelong dreams, and pave the way for the future of America, and I know that if I can do this and be successful, than anyone can.

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