Texas Tech University

News & Events

Summer Online Student Spotlights

By Timothy Howard, Media Relations Coordinator

As the Fall 2018 semester approaches, anticipation is building in Raiderland. Freshmen are moving into their dorms, preparing for their first college courses and looking forward to making new friends. The campus is beginning to come alive with tradition and excitement for fall football is beginning to set in. For most students at Texas Tech, this is their college experience. But for many students, location restraints or other life obstacles may take away the option to attend Texas Tech on campus. This summer on our Facebook page, we featured three Texas Tech students who are achieving their educational goals through online degree programs. If you missed them the first time, you can read them below. We are so proud of the way our online students are pursuing their dreams, even from a distance.

Amy Lawler

Amy Lawler is finishing up coursework in the online Master of Education in Instructional Technology program and is hoping to graduate December 2019. Though she has always wanted to earn a graduate degree, there have been some hurdles. Online courses at Texas Tech have given Amy the freedom that she needed to achieve her goal.

Amy is currently working full-time while, alongside her husband, caring for two children. Earning her master's degree online has given her less of a commute, provided the flexibility she has needed to be a working mom and allowed her to take classes at her own pace.

It has been almost 20 years since Amy earned her bachelor's degree. "Getting used to the new virtual ways of taking classes such as accessing the library online and communicating with classmates and instructors has been a process," Amy said. "The biggest obstacle for me has been figuring out how to have social needs met that an on-campus class typically meets through live interaction with other students. Once I began to reach out on social media to other classmates, I got affirmation that I was not alone. Being able to socialize online with classmates is just as important as socializing in an on-campus class, if not more so!"

Online programs at Texas Tech University have given Amy the chance to gain credibility for herself as a leader in the field of curriculum development. Keep up the good work, Amy!

Jessica Ulmer

Jessica Ulmer is enrolled in the online Doctor of Philosophy in Technical Communication and Rhetoric program and is hoping to finish her dissertation by Spring 2020.

When Jessica first started looking at online Ph.D. programs, she lived in Rhode Island. After moving to South Carolina, she found herself interested in a Doctorate in English program at another university. Due to her full-time teaching job and need for a salary, she was not able to pursue the English program.

Jessica had also encountered some life-changing circumstances along the way.

"I lost most of my hearing when I was finishing up my MA in English in 2013," Jessica said. "When I was accepted into the Technical Communication and Rhetoric program, I started telling my friends about it. One of them suggested that I contact Student Disability Services to receive accommodations. This was the first time in my entire life that I had to self-advocate in this way."

Online programs at Texas Tech University gave Jessica the flexibility that she needed to achieve her dreams in the midst of the obstacles.

"When I was young, I told myself and everyone that would listen that I was going to be a doctor someday. As a first-generation college graduate, I wanted to prove to myself and to everybody else that I could do it. My determination wavered a bit when I began teaching. I wasn't sure how to get a doctorate and teach full time. But in 2006 I began to realize that if I really wanted to help change anything in education, and later Writing/English Studies, I would need to get a Ph.D."

Jessica is on her way to making that goal a reality! We are very proud of this online Red Raider.

Gina Covington

Gina Covington is currently in the online Master of Education in Instructional Technology program and also earning an eLearning and Online Teaching graduate certificate from the College of Education. She is planning on graduating May 2019.

Gina received her Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas in December 1985. After feeling the call to continue growing in her career, she decided to work toward her master's degree online at Texas Tech University. Gina chose Texas Tech because, after doing research, she found that the admission process was reviewed by a committee to ensure a quality learning community and liked that Texas Tech had a rigorous but rewarding program. "I feel like I'm getting an excellent education and will be well-prepared to continue to grow in my career as a result," Gina said.

She lives on the Gulf Coast, making it impossible to come to class in Lubbock. "I have the ability to learn in any place at my own pace and time," Gina said. She also works full-time as an instructional technology specialist and has been able to apply what she is learning in the EDIT program to her job.

Gina's story is a wonderful example of the ways that online programs from Texas Tech can give students the freedom to achieve!

Let Us Tell Your Story!

We are always looking to tell the stories of more online students at Texas Tech. If you are an online student or know an online student at Texas Tech that should be featured as a student spotlight, please email our Digital Media Coordinator.

A filtered image of Amy Lawler.
Amy Lawler

 

A headshot of Jessica Ulmer
Jessica Ulmer

 

Gina Covington standing next to red railing with trees and a river in the background
Gina Covington