Adult Learner Thrives on Helping Other Adults Learn

Brandi Woods' job is helping adults learn. She has been doing it for 17 years, and this past spring, she helped herself, too. She earned a bachelor's degree, the first of her siblings to do so.

Woods didn't miss a beat at her job helping others prepare for the GED test or learn various literacy and basic computer skills because she was able to study online in the Bachelor of Human Resource Development program at the U of A. She works as the intake/assessment specialist for the Adult Education department at University of Arkansas - Cossatot Community College at the Nashville campus in Howard County.

"I have always wanted to help people," Woods said. "It's what makes me happy."

The Razorbug Diploma Tour traveled from Fayetteville to visit the U of A Cossatot campus June 18 to present Woods with a framed diploma in the presence of her family, friends, co-workers and students she has worked with. She noted that their support, in addition to her professors', was instrumental in her success. Co-workers encouraged her to get the degree. When she walked across the stage at commencement in Fayetteville, she was in awe.

"There is no way really to describe the feeling," she said. "I did it! I did it!"

Woods earned an associate's degree from the University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana in 1999. When she decided to pursue a bachelor's degree, she needed an online format due to her location and work schedule. She found a degree she wanted to pursue available from the U of A's College of Education and Health Professions.

"I work full time, and my son was in high school band then," she said. "I needed to be able to do school around my schedule. Sometimes, on the hour drive to church, I read and took notes while my husband drove."

Her job involves handling all the intake paperwork for everyone who comes to U of A Cossatot for adult education services. When she interviewed for the job in 2006, she was asked what the word initiative meant in regard to the workplace and, more specifically, how you show initiative. Woods replied, "When you see something that needs to be done, you do it." She later learned that this answer got her the job.

In addition to gathering intake information from students, she reviews their assessment results to determine what subject areas and skills they need to focus on. She also substitute teaches in math classes and does one-on-one tutoring.

She jokes that, if students saw her math scores from high school, they would be surprised.

"One thing I never thought I would be doing is helping people with math," she laughed.

She struggled in high school, and it wasn't until she was an adult that she received an ADHD diagnosis after another family member was diagnosed.

"What we have encountered with our students is that many fell through the cracks of school systems because they had an undiagnosed learning disability," she said. "We found ways to help them create accommodations for themselves, even without an official diagnosis. We cannot provide a diagnosis for them, but we can direct them to helpful resources and practitioners who can."

She also feels strongly about the importance of the GED program because both her parents earned a high school diploma through alternative credentialing.

"I saw first-hand the effect it had on their lives," she said. "I have seen students become more confident in themselves. It motivates me to come to work every day."

Woods sees herself going further with her education someday, possibly getting a master's degree and pursuing a teaching career. She would like to teach adults because that's where her passion lies.

The 2024 Razorbug Diploma Tour, in its third year, travels the state in the summer to celebrate the accomplishments of graduates of online degree programs. The Razorbug, a 2005 Volkswagen Beetle converted to look like a Razorback with hooves, snout, curly tail and razor spine, was on loan from the Office of Admissions. Global Campus staff drove the Bug more than 2,100 miles through western, southern, eastern and central Arkansas to present 16 diplomas in 15 counties. Only two of the graduates earned bachelor's degrees. The remaining were master's degrees and one doctorate. In academic year 2023, the U of A awarded 1,074 online degrees and certificates.

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