Sabrina Ivory

Meet Sabrina Ivory

Name: Sabrina Ivory

Age: 44

Marital Status: Divorced

Children: A son and daughter

Strength: Working full-time as a single mom, battling illness, and having to re-take courses because of credit-transfer problems.

School: Winston-Salem State University

Target: Bachelor of Science in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, 2001

Sabrina had a goal: to finish her college degree before her son finished high school. With singular determination and the supportive staff at Winston-Salem State University she did it. The mother of two earned her degree more than five years ago, but the 44-year old is still reaping the benefits.

Her bachelor's degree in Clinical Lab Sciences had an immediate and lasting impact on her life. "My income went up $30,000 overnight," says the former medical lab technician.

Today she is a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health Service. "When I finished [my degree] all kinds of doors opened." She was offered a promotion by her former employer, but opted to take a direct commission to public health where she was assigned to a federal prison.

The once shy and reserved young woman has matured into an inspiring and effective leader.

The quiet girl who was afraid to speak up is now doing the talking—and everyone from the inmates to the doctors who treat them is inclined to listen. As the lead technologist of the transfusion department she makes sure that the nurses, phlebotomists, and doctors are in compliance with FDA and other regulatory board standards.

She establishes all the policies and procedures for accrediting agencies. And on her watch the department has passed all inspections with zero citations or recommendations. But the road to self worth, respect, and empowerment was a long and windy one.

She credits Dr. Denny Ryman, Ed. D. with keeping her on the right path. Indeed she considers the staff and faculty at Winston-Salem "family."

"You have something in you that is going to thrive," she recalls him telling her. "I wanted to give it my all. He was one of the first men in my life who believed in me."

With no family encouragement and support to bolster her, Sabrina had to make her own way in the world very early. Two days after her 18th birthday she left home and left behind a history of disappointment and pain.

She would rather have gone to college, but simply did not have the means and did not know what resources were available to her. "I didn't know what a scholarship was until I was in my 20s," she muses.

"I knew I needed a job," she explains. "A recruiter told me, ‘if you want to be all you can be, join the Army.'" So she signed up. Based on her ASVAB scores she was advised to take something in the medical field so that she would always have something to fall back on.

"I went in as a medical laboratory specialist." She remembers thinking at the time, "I don't know what my passion is yet, but I will do this so that I can make sure I'll always be employed."

But she always wanted to earn her college degree. Marriage and two children happened along the way.

But when she was stationed in Hawaii she was afforded the opportunity to make some major progress. She earned a two-year degree in Medical Lab Technology from University of Hawaii at Kapi'olani Community College.

She wanted to finish the four-year degree, but did not know how long she would be stationed at Tripler Medical Center. So she had to wait. And plan.

"When I came back to the mainland I had two goals: divorce my husband, and get my 4-year degree." She knew it would take sacrifice and fortitude to meet both of those goals.

"At one point in my life I decided not to be in a relationship after I divorced my husband," she says candidly. "My whole life I'd always wanted to do what others wanted me to do. I was a walking robot."

She summoned her courage and after achieving her first goal she began to tackle the second.

"I set a goal that I wanted to finish my four-year degree before my son finished high school." There wasn't much time.

By the time she returned to the mainland and settled in Fayetteville her son was already in the 10th grade. "I had only two years. I had to go [to school] full-time." So she doggedly worked at meeting her self-imposed deadline.

"When I had kids I knew I had to educate them on the value of an education. In order to do that I had to set an example," she affirms.

Enrolled at Winston-Salem State University, she registered for a clinical sciences program that allowed 90% of the coursework to be completed online.

Students were only required to come to the campus for classes or exams on Saturdays. Sabrina worked full-time and studied in the evenings with her children by her side. It was important to her to involve both her son and daughter.

"I told them either you read a book or you write a paper, but we're doing this together."

It was a challenge, yet she was able to coax cooperation out of her elder teen and settle into a routine. All went swimmingly for awhile. But her path to a college degree was about to take one more detour. The university denied her application to graduate.

Her beloved mentor and department faculty delivered the crushing blow. The credits she had earned at Kapi'olani Community College, a school that was not regionally accredited, would not transfer after all.

The thought of facing more school when she was already so tired was almost too much to bear.

"It had been a struggle juggling work, school, and especially my teenage son," she remembers of her emotional state at the time. "I was so defeated I went to the zoo. I cried the whole time. Then I went home and told my kids what happened."

Still she wanted to meet her goal of graduating before her son. "I didn't want to steal his thunder by graduating the same year."

She looked around for options. She inquired at Winston-Salem if she could register for more classes to make up the units.

But she was refused. She was already carrying the maximum number of credits. So she found another school. Sabrina enrolled at Fayetteville Community College while still attending Winston-Salem. She carried a combined total of 32 units for two semesters in order to finish on time.

She was able to rearrange her work schedule to make her round-the-clock schooling possible. She would go to work at 5 a.m., leave at 11 a.m., attend class until 1:30 p.m., go back to work, leave at 5 p.m., rush home and fix dinner for the kids, go to class, then come home and study. She allowed herself only Sundays off to spend with her children.

The punishing schedule took its toll. She began to fall ill just before the home stretch. She battled mono, an upper-respiratory infection, and a stomach virus. She was so sick and tired she couldn't rally to take an exam.

"My daughter came into my room and pulled me out of bed by my ankles," she says fondly of her younger child now a straight A college student. "‘You're not a quitter. You have to go to class.'" It was enough to get the gutsy mom back on her feet.

She managed to persevere. Her hard work paid off. She graduated in December 2001 with honors. Her son graduated in June 2002. The experience was more than rewarding. "My self-esteem went from 0 to 100."

Without distance education she would not have achieved her goal. There was another program locally, she admits, but it didn't have as good of a reputation. She would have found another classroom-based program and attended part time she imagines.

Fortunately, she didn't have to take that step. The ability to set her own hours was invaluable to her as a single-parent. The flexibility meant that she could still work full-time to support her family and that her evenings could be spent at home to keep an eye on her teens.

The textbooks were the same as those used in traditional classes and the quality of the faculty equal in all respects. But, having attended college classes online and in person, she believes online classes are harder. She admits there is a benefit to participating in a live lecture. But the benefits of distance education outweigh the drawbacks. Plus, she learned, one becomes self-reliant.

As with many other online students, she has heard stories of students who fail to set schedules and mismanage their time. They let work pile up and feel alienated. "The professors are there to teach. If you are not getting what you need, make yourself accessible to them. Reach out. E-mail or call the office and leave a message," she advises.

It has been her experience that instructors were caring and helpful. However, the burden was on the student to stay on top of reading, posts, and assignments and seek help early. "If they didn't see you were putting forth the effort, they didn't go the extra mile."

"Don't call the day before the assignment is due," she warns. "They may not be available."

As positive experience as she had with technology when it came to regular assignments, she was still wary when it came to group projects. She never met online. "We always physically met. I lived 2 ½ hours away. We'd meet halfway." She managed to avoid any negative experiences with group work. "We were all adult students. Everyone wanted the same thing. Everyone pulled their weight."

She is a true success story. She overcame adversity to beat the odds. And she is happy to share her story with others and offer encouragement and tips when she can. "I wasn't just there to do the assignment. I was there to learn." She allowed herself time to fully absorb the work. Whether assignments were due or not she set aside two hours each day.

"Set aside time everyday," she says. "If you wait to the last minute things can pile up on you." She offers this example to those who say they can't afford the time. "You set aside time to go get your hair done, or go to a movie. If the movie starts at 4, you block out that time. You know church starts at 11, so you set aside that time." Just as you would plan to be unavailable for two hours for each of those activities, you have to cut yourself off similarly to devote that time to school. On a regular basis.

"Set aside time for yourself now…for later."