Axia College, part of University of Phoenix
A.A. in Business, 2006

Kaplan University
B.A. in Management, 2008

American InterContinental University
M.A. in Marketing, 2010

My name is Meka Johnson and I have attended school online since 2005. I received my Associate's degree through Western International University, My Bachelor's from Kaplan University, and I am now completing my Masters through American International University. I graduated high school in 1995 and was an honor roll student. I graduated with a 4.0 GPA and, of course, I had aspirations of going to a traditional college campus, but real life happened and plans changed.

When I went off to college in 1995 at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, things did not go as planned. I ended up meeting my children's father, getting pregnant the first year, and having to put my education on hold. I let so many people down, especially since I was the first in my family to go to college. My parents actually paid for my first year out of their pockets because they were so proud of me. Wow was I hurt when I had to leave school. I had lost focus, but I never gave up wanting to receive my degree.

I tried returning to school, but I was never able to find a way to balance school, work, and family. In the meantime, I took jobs as a waitress, a Wal-Mart cashier, and then as a Medical Records clerk at a physician's office. I got pregnant with my second child in 2001 and my third child in 2004.

Three weeks after I had my third child, my father passed away. It was devastating and actually made me start really thinking about where I was in my life and what I needed to do. No job or company was going to care what grades I made in high school in 1995. I did not want to work thirty years before landing a professional job, but I did not have the education behind me to prove what I could do. I remember in 2005 watching television and I saw Shaquille O'Neal had received his degree online through the University of Phoenix. I was like, wow, this guy has a lot going on and more money than I could ever dream of, but still found education important enough to get a degree. I picked up the telephone right then and called the University of Phoenix and inquired about attending school online.

I was eventually transferred to Axia College, which is now part of the University of Phoenix. My counselor was amazing, and we actually became friends. She talked to me about my life and goals, and I told her that my mother had recently had a stroke. She helped me realized I was at a turning point in my life. I enrolled right then and made a commitment that no matter what happened, I would get through it and get my education.

Things did happen. My mother passed away in October of 2005. I was in disbelief, but my counselor helped me through it, talking to me on her cell phone for an hour while she was at the airport with her father. I felt like no matter what I was trying to do, these things were always happening to me. As I sit here writing this, it brings back all those memories and is still difficult for me to reflect on how I came from all of that to where I am at now.

But I did push through it with the help of Axia. Everyone there was great—they told me I could take off all the time I needed and kept checking in on me to make sure I was doing alright. I ended up only missing one week of classes and eventually graduating with a 3.2 GPA.

I started at Kaplan University online in January 2007 and loved it. The work really prepared you and I felt like I was learning something. I completed my degree at Kaplan University online in November of 2008 with a 3.98 GPA. I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor's of Science in Management with an emphasis in sales and marketing. When I finished at Kaplan, they inspired me to go further and I ended up enrolling in American InterContininental University's MBA program, and I am currently two classes away from my M.A. degree.

Since I have experience going to school on a ground campus and online environment, I feel that the online schools care more. If you have ever gone to school on a ground campus, how many times have you missed class and received a call from the school? How many students are in those ground classes? I felt more connected with my instructors and the school then I did with the experiences I had on the ground campuses. When my mother passed and I was unable to attend, WIU called and checked on me. When Hurricane Ike hit my area in East Texas, Kaplan called and checked on me. I feel that online schools care and they want you to succeed. Through my online experience, I hope people see that anyone can earn their degree as an online student. Online schools are there for those who have families and those who have to work a full time job—they are really there for anyone who wants to succeed.

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