Access to Education with Emily

Transcript

ASU is so inclusive and strives to be accessible to students everywhere. In fact, they offer more than 200 degrees 100% online taught by the same award-winning faculty team that’s here on Campus. So let’s meet up with Emily Vance. She’s a senior majoring in photography and has an awesome story about how ASU’s access to education has literally changed her life. Emily, please take it away.

Hey, everyone. Although it has taken me a decade to get to the finish line, I am so excited that graduation is just around the corner. I always told myself that as an artist, I didn’t need to go to college, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Arizona State University has provided me with so many amazing opportunities and I couldn’t be where I am today without them.

I first began my journey with ASU Online in the summer of 2014, soon after ASU launched their program with Starbucks. My then boyfriend, now husband, and I were both working as baristas. Although we had both completed some college, due to financial restraints, we couldn’t finish our degrees. But I began chipping away at my degree slowly but surely. And due to the crazy busy schedule of work and planning a wedding, I was able to take just one class at a time. I always strive to say yes to every new adventure, so when a once in a lifetime opportunity came up, we jumped on it.

Because of the flexibility of ASU’s online program, we were able to relocate from Washington to a teeny, tiny town in Kansas to live on my family’s farm for a year. Had we both been enrolled in on-campus learning, we never would have been able to make such a drastic change. Fast forward a few months on the farm, and we finally got to visit Tempe, Arizona for the very first time for my husband’s graduation. The moment the plane landed, we felt a sense of belonging. Arizona was where we needed to be. Luckily my husband Mark was in the process of applying for grad school, and ASU was at the top of his list. So in the summer of 2018, we packed up again and moved right here to Arizona.

Although we loved our time at Starbucks, it was time to move on and focus on our careers. We both found on-campus student jobs that made the move so much easier, and both were a lot more relevant to our career goals. Once we moved here, so many amazing things began to happen. Mark completed his Master’s degree and is now working on his PhD. And so many doors started to open for me. Although I was taking a full course load, I was able to head to Disneyland twice to work as a volunteer photographer with Together we Rise, an organization that helps kids in the foster care system.

From there, I found the confidence to launch the Mask Portrait Project, a collection of portraits that highlight the importance of masking up. And with ASU’s help, I was able to work with the mayor of Tempe and Phoenix, and we’ve been published over two dozen times. Today, I am just months away from graduating, something I never would have imagined when I left high school.

I’ve never been more proud to be a Sun Devil or more excited about my future. There’s something so magical about living in the desert and having such an amazing support system. ASU really does have your best interest at heart and they will do everything in their power to help you succeed. I can’t thank them enough for all the amazing opportunities they’ve provided for both myself and my husband. All right, Alex, that’s my story. Back to you.

Emily, that was great. Thank you for sharing your story. It’s amazing all the ways ASU helps each and every student here succeed.