At the Regional Sites

TTU at Fredericksburg Program Allows Student to Succeed in The Classroom And The Community

By Daniel Johnson, Section Manager

Texas Tech University at Fredericksburg political science student, Virginia Finster, is a very busy individual. With raising kids, working, and volunteering within her community, she needed to find the perfect bachelor's degree program that would work with her schedule.

"I am a first-generation college student, distance learning student, and mother of two. I work as a freelance photographer and content creator," she said. "I chose TTU at Fredericksburg because I needed to take classes online, so I could work while earning my degree."

It was at a transfer fair at San Antonio Community College where Virginia learned more about what TTU at Fredericksburg had to offer. Texas Tech University regional site staff and advisors often attend transfer fairs throughout the state providing information to students looking to take the next step in their education.

"Without TTU outreach at the San Antonio College transfer day, I never would have learned about the Red Raider Guarantee and the regional sites," she explained.

The Red Raider Guarantee is a program that has been assisting students since 2007, promising to pay 100 percent of tuition and mandatory fees for qualifying students. To increase access to higher education, Texas Tech guarantees tuition and fees to new entering freshmen and transfer students with an associate degree, who are Texas residents, have a family adjusted gross income that does not exceed $65,000, have demonstrated financial need, and who will be enrolled full time.

"This pairing provides a path for non-traditional students like me to earn their bachelor's degree. Programs like this help to change our community," Virginia said.

Assisting and changing the community is something that Virginia is already involved in as a member of the Goodwill of San Antonio board of directors. Her involvement in the community is very important to her, and she hopes to continue serving others after completing her degree through TTU at Fredericksburg.

"My passion is serving my community, by being involved with nonprofits and institutions of higher education. After I obtain my degree, I plan to work as a substitute while working toward earning my law degree. I would like to eventually pursue a career as a human rights lawyer."

With the hardships and uncertainty that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought to so many, Virginia was still able to take care of business and learned that she is capable of accomplishing much more than she originally anticipated.

"COVID required me to do a complete turnaround with how I work," she said. "Instead of photography, I navigated to assisting with social media. I soon had to juggle working from home while schooling my children and taking online classes."

"If you had told me last year, I would be working remotely, while homeschooling my children and taking 17 hours of online classes, I don't know what my reaction would have been, but I did it and earned a 4.0 GPA for the semester."

Virginia has been very happy with her decision to transfer to a Texas Tech regional site to pursue her degree.

"My experience at TTU has been phenomenal. TTU came to my community college and showed me how a bachelor's degree was within grasp," she explained.

For others looking to transfer, Virginia recommends they follow her lead and choose a Texas Tech regional site.

"I would encourage others to consider the high-quality education TTU has to offer along with the programs such as the Red Raider Guarantee. Those things along with the dedicated staff help to ensure you are Raider-ready!

"The greatest benefit is, regardless of social distancing or shut downs, I can be confident that my education at TTU will not be interrupted. When everything else was changing daily, TTU remained consistent."