Online Programs Archives | 91��Ƭ��

From wrenches to wildlife: 91��Ƭ�� grad finds new calling

Lisa Sollie — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 17:11:46 +0000

Jason Williamson spent years making a living under the hood of vehicles, but he also had a passion for wildlife and the environment. Inspired in part by watching Steve Irwin, the famed “Crocodile Hunter,” and later through volunteering at the Environmental Studies Center with Mobile County Public Schools, Williamson eventually found himself on an unexpected career path.

It was at the that Williamson heard about the 91��Ƭ��.

When Williamson began volunteering, he had no plans to change careers, but the work satisfied him in a way that being a mechanic no longer did.

“From the first time I volunteered at the Center, I loved it and I spent a lot of time learning as much as I could from the biologist on staff,” Williamson said. “When she told me she planned on retiring soon, I realized this is what I wanted to do with my life and so I went back to school.”

Once Williamson earned his associate degree, he struggled to find a university with a program that fit what he wanted to do.

“One day I mentioned the issue I was having to the center director, Dr. Tracy Halpin Jay,” Williamson said.

Jay, a two-time 91��Ƭ�� alumnus, told him about 91��Ƭ��.

Just one week after connecting with 91��Ƭ��, Williamson was discussing his ambitious timeline with an advisor.

A husband, father and full-time mechanic, Williamson said it wasn’t easy adding college to the mix. Looking back, he said he doesn’t know how he managed it, often getting by on only four hours of sleep per night.

“I ended up taking 88 credits in a little over a year,” he said, “but I have no regrets. Without the at 91��Ƭ��, I’d never be where I am today.”

Hired full-time by the Environmental Studies Center in July 2026, Williamson said that before he started at 91��Ƭ��, he thought he knew a lot.

“I was humbled really quick when I realized how little I knew,” he said, laughing. “Everything from learning about different viruses to all the math classes I had to take laid the foundation for everything I now use on a day-to-day basis. Now I’m just building on it.”

One of Williamson’s favorite parts of his new career is when an animal completes the rehabilitation process and successfully returns to the wild.

“All the long hours and the hard days are worth it when you see that bird fly off or another animal run off and you know you gave it the best chance at life,” he said. “There’s nothing like it.”

For Williamson, the work is rewarding, but he said there aren’t enough people trained in wildlife rehabilitation.

“We’re down to five rehabbers in the state of Alabama,” he said. “This is definitely an undervalued role in our society, and we need to push the importance of this work to anyone that will listen.”

One way he’s doing that is by educating young people about environmental science.

“We have a large amount of school groups who come to the Center, and I enjoy sharing what we do here, and answer any questions they might have about how to get into this field. I’ll help anybody out that’s interested,” Williamson said.

The Center also must have a college student working or interning there who is studying environmental science— whether that’s marine biology, zoology, or even biology, Williamson noted.

“Part of my job is to teach them and share every bit of knowledge I can. I want others to understand the importance of what we do here and why it matters.”

New 91��Ƭ�� grad takes next step at top accounting firm

Lisa Sollie — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 16:10:24 +0000

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Story: Lisa Sollie

Most college students wait until after graduation to launch their careers. Cailin Burroughs took a different approach. Before earning a bachelor of business administration in accounting from the 91��Ƭ�� on Aug. 14, she had already accepted a full-time staff accountant position at JamisonMoneyFarmer PC, a top 10 accounting firm in Alabama.

Burroughs calls it “learning backwards”—building a career before earning the degree that formally qualified her for it. She credits the flexibility of with allowing her to balance work and class schedules so she could gain on-the-job experience while pursuing her degree, positioning her for a pre-graduation job offer.

She credits her parents with teaching her that success comes from consistent hard work, not shortcuts. Their example, Burroughs said, made it easier to stay focused on her job and her studies, because she knew it would pay off in the end.

“My mom dropped out of college to start a business at 22, while my dad went on to earn his degree. I’ve watched my parents build and grow that business all my life,” Burroughs said. “If going to school online was an option back in the day, my mom might have earned her degree too.”

That same work ethic shaped how Burroughs approached both college and the process of figuring out what she wanted to do. After her freshman year at another university, she realized she wanted to follow a different career path than she had originally planned. That summer included a pivotal step toward her career.

“I worked at a pharmacy for a year because I thought I wanted to go to pharmacy school, but I realized it wasn’t the right fit,” she said. “Accounting was my next choice, so I applied for a runner position in 2023 at JMF to get an idea of what an accountant’s typical day is like before switching my major and transferring to 91��Ƭ��.”

Burroughs encourages students to seek internships, entry-level jobs or job-shadowing opportunities before committing to a career path.

“Because figuring out what isn’t right for you is just as valuable as figuring out what is,” she noted. “At JMF, I found a career I love and 91��Ƭ�� provided an educational path that allowed me to pursue it.”

While she admits she gained practical accounting experience before the book knowledge, she believes everyone needs the academic foundation that 91��Ƭ��’s program provides.

“When you’re doing the work—the job is the output,” she said. “There were several times when I would learn a concept in an accounting or tax class that I had already encountered at work. I understood how we handled it in practice, and then learning the theory behind it in class helped me understand the bigger picture.”

That connection between classroom learning and real-world experience carried over into other courses as well.

Burroughs recalls one assignment from accounting professor Sharon Stipe in which she had to complete an individual tax return by hand.

“When I was given that class assignment, I had already prepared hundreds of individual returns at work—and at first, it felt strange, and a little aggravating, to go back and do one by hand,” Burroughs admitted. “But if I didn’t already have prior experience, I honestly think it would have been one of the most practical and valuable assignments I completed.”

She hopes other students realize that classes and assignments like this one provide practical, experiential learning they may not get elsewhere until they are out in the field.

By the time Burroughs was nearing graduation, she had something many students do not yet have: both the academic foundation and the practical experience to step directly into the profession. She believes working at the firm while earning her degree was the primary reason she received a full-time staff accountant offer before she even graduated. It gave the firm’s leaders an opportunity to see firsthand her work ethic, dependability, and abilities.

But Burroughs believes experience was only part of the equation. Her attitude, she believes, was just as important. And that is something she hopes other students will carry with them into the workplace.

“People remember how you make them feel. Be positive, be enjoyable to work with, be dependable, and be grateful for every opportunity you’ve been given,” she said. “No task is beneath you when you’re learning.”

Following Her Calling

Lisa Sollie — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 16:51:34 +0000

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Story: Lisa Sollie

91��Ƭ�� Graduate Finds Purpose in Special Education

After years of advocating for children in Alabama’s foster care system, Shameeka Upshaw felt called to expand her ability to serve children, this time in the classroom. Now with a degree in hand from the 91��Ƭ��, Upshaw helps students with disabilities and their teachers be successful.

As special education facilitator at Johnny Carr Middle School in Montgomery Public Schools, Upshaw oversees the school’s special education program and ensures compliance with students’ Individualized Education Plans (IEPs).

Determined to build a new future for herself and her two children after the death of her husband, Upshaw earned a bachelor’s degree from Troy University and began working in banking. But her desire to serve others eventually led her to the Department of Human Resources, where she became a foster care caseworker in 2019.

Several years later, with prayer and guidance, Upshaw left to teach special education. “It was hard to leave my babies,” she said, “but I knew it was my calling.”

Pursuing that calling required a new path into education.

91��Ƭ��’s Temporary Special Education Certification (TSEC) program provided the pathway, allowing her to begin teaching while completing the coursework and certification requirements needed for full certification. Working in the classroom confirmed that special education combined her passion for advocacy with her desire to help children succeed. Inspired by that experience, she enrolled in program, which allowed her to continue working in the classroom while earning her master’s degree.

Balancing graduate coursework and her responsibilities at school, Upshaw also worked a part-time job supporting adults with intellectual disabilities in their homes.

“Two days a week, I was at the middle school all day and then work from 4-10 and every other weekend,” she said. Between work, graduate school, and caring for her family, long days became the norm. Upshaw also took an overload schedule so she could pay for her tuition out of pocket rather than take on additional loans. Despite the demands, she graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA and was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi honor society.

As demanding as work and graduate school were, another challenge soon emerged, when Upshaw’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer during her graduate studies. Despite her health struggles, she was able to attend Upshaw’s graduation ceremony—a moment they both treasured.

Today, Upshaw says every challenge she faced prepared her for the work she does now. Whether supporting teachers, advocating for students, or helping families navigate special education, she is determined to make the same lasting difference in children’s lives.

Though she hopes to one day open a therapeutic center for individuals with special needs, Upshaw says wherever the path leads, her calling remains the same: helping children and families find someone firmly in their corner.