People had their doubts.
She decided to do what made her happy.

Alison Andrews

Online Bachelor of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders, in progress

Alison Andrews’s bold journey took her all the way to another continent.

She was 19 at the time, and a lot of people expressed hesitation about her getting married and leaving the United States with her now-husband, a crew chief in the U.S. Marine Corps. After all, she’d barely been out of her home state of Pennsylvania, let alone the country.

Now 21, she’s thankful she trusted her intuition and made the brave decision to relocate her life to a place thousands of miles from home.

“At the end of the day, that was what I could call successful, because it made me happy,” she says, “and I’m happy three years later.”

Alison has always wanted to make a career out of helping others. A talented student who took Advanced Placement (AP) art classes in high school, she initially wanted to become an art therapist but ultimately decided to keep it as her hobby instead of a full-time profession.

Her interest in communication sciences and disorders was sparked when she took a school field trip to a rehabilitation center. It was there that she had the opportunity to observe different medical professionals in action.

“I was very drawn to speech-language pathology and eventually audiology,” Alison says. “I’m still kind of figuring out which one I want to go toward.”

Alison is a proud first-generation college student, and in pursuing her communication sciences and disorders degree, she initially chose to go the traditional route with on-campus classes at a university in Pennsylvania.

She remembers it as an exciting time, but one in which she had a lot of questions.

“Being a first-generation college student is definitely a huge deal not only to me, but to my family,” Alison says. “There were so many things that had to be learned, like how to apply and file for FAFSA, or how does taking a loan out work, or how to schedule classes. There were so many things that I didn’t know how to do — I remember my mom and I would spend hours just trying to figure this stuff out.”

She was already a year into her bachelor’s program when she learned her husband would be stationed in Naha, Okinawa, for the next three years. Moving to Japan with him meant Alison would need to change her plans and transfer to an online program if she wanted to continue her education. “I Googled ‘communication sciences disorders online,’ and there weren’t a lot of options,” she remembers. “I think Maryville was [one of the few] that had this degree completely online.”

From the moment she applied to Maryville Online, Alison felt valued and supported. As Alison was finalizing plans to leave the States, her student advisor checked in with her weekly to see how she was doing.

“She really, really helped me figure out that Maryville was perfect because of Japan,” she says, “and that really made me feel so comfortable.”

Once settled in Japan, Alison realized how important it was to support her husband and maximize their time together.

“My husband will always be my first priority no matter what,” she says. “It’s difficult to juggle, but it’s also rewarding, because you get to be there with them through this time.”

Now that Alison’s taking classes asynchronously through Maryville Online, she can plan each week around her husband’s flight schedule. If he flies at night, she’ll block out a few hours during the day to complete her schoolwork, and vice versa.

“It’s nice being able to pick and choose when I can do my homework and when I can study,” Alison says. “Being able to decide when to do your work — it’s really great.”

She even makes time to host dinner for her husband’s fellow service members. She’s offered up their space as a home away from home for anyone who needs a break from their barracks.

Alison is a proud first-generation college student, and in pursuing her communication sciences and disorders degree, she initially chose to go the traditional route with on-campus classes at a university in Pennsylvania.

She remembers it as an exciting time, but one in which she had a lot of questions.

“Being a first-generation college student is definitely a huge deal not only to me, but to my family,” Alison says. “There were so many things that had to be learned, like how to apply and file for FAFSA, or how does taking a loan out work, or how to schedule classes. There were so many things that I didn’t know how to do — I remember my mom and I would spend hours just trying to figure this stuff out.”

She was already a year into her bachelor’s program when she learned her husband would be stationed in Naha, Okinawa, for the next three years. Moving to Japan with him meant Alison would need to change her plans and transfer to an online program if she wanted to continue her education. “I Googled ‘communication sciences disorders online,’ and there weren’t a lot of options,” she remembers. “I think Maryville was [one of the few] that had this degree completely online.”

From the moment she applied to Maryville Online, Alison felt valued and supported. As Alison was finalizing plans to leave the States, her student advisor checked in with her weekly to see how she was doing.

“She really, really helped me figure out that Maryville was perfect because of Japan,” she says, “and that really made me feel so comfortable.”

Once settled in Japan, Alison realized how important it was to support her husband and maximize their time together.

“My husband will always be my first priority no matter what,” she says. “It’s difficult to juggle, but it’s also rewarding, because you get to be there with them through this time.”

Now that Alison’s taking classes asynchronously through Maryville Online, she can plan each week around her husband’s flight schedule. If he flies at night, she’ll block out a few hours during the day to complete her schoolwork, and vice versa.

“It’s nice being able to pick and choose when I can do my homework and when I can study,” Alison says. “Being able to decide when to do your work — it’s really great.”

She even makes time to host dinner for her husband’s fellow service members. She’s offered up their space as a home away from home for anyone who needs a break from their barracks.