The Faces of Herzing - Herzing University Online Student Testimonials

It took years, but Sarah Barber finally knows how she’d like to earn a living.

Barber recently earned an associate degree in graphic design as an online student. Little did she know that her longtime hobby was actually going to steer her toward a career.

“I have always been an artist,” Barber said. “I’ve been scrapbooking for about 10 years - digitally for five. It was like, one day a light bulb went off. I suddenly knew what I wanted to do.”

Barber’s ultimate goal is to bring home a paycheck “to support her family" by doing layout and design. With two more years to go, Barber says she has been “excited, scared, and humbled.”

Attending school in the cyber environment was challenging, but Barber never let anything darken her resolution. She worked hard, participated in online student forums, and kept her eye on that graduation prize. The entire process made a real impact on this 30-year-old mother of one.

“It changed me,” she said. “I never thought it could happen. It has confirmed my faith that education is the key to becoming successful in my field. I’ve never been more proud.”

Cyber space proved to be both flexible and compelling. Barber noted that on one hand, you can log in when you feel like it and time permits. On the other hand, there are deadlines to meet, just like in the physical classroom. There are truly advantages to both class delivery methods.

“Online classes take willpower and determination,” Barber said.

“You are comfortable at home and yet you really have to focus on the end goal. Before my daughter started school I had to lock myself in a room or stay up late.”

If things got really tough, Barber had the freedom to head to her local library.

“It was a better study environment,” she said. “It forced me to focus.”

Barber said the online one-on-one contact with teachers and the interaction with classmates helped nurture her success.

“Feedback from the instructor was usually attached to weekly homework,” she said.

“And all the instructors were very helpful; they really make an attempt to connect with each student. And, we were encouraged to share our work. It helped with fine-tuning something and provided positive reinforcement. I learned to listen with an open mind to my fellow students’ ideas.”

All in all, Barber is delighted with her progress and looks forward to finishing with her bachelor’s degree from Herzing University.

“I’m so happy I figured it out,” she said. “It has given me focus in my wandering life.”

I am so appreciative that I chose to further my education via an online program offered through Herzing University. The instructors were excellent at facilitating my online experience for learning. I highly recommend online education because of its convenience. I never had to wait in lines to register, apply for financial aid, or purchase books. I had everything I needed, right at my fingertips to complete my master of science in nursing at Herzing University. I was so proud on my graduation day because I graduated with honors. I received so much support from the Herzing staff to complete my studies. The experience will never be forgotten. Thanks to everyone at Herzing who made this great achievement possible. The journey was much appreciated.

Scottie Jean Lovell Andrews, a native of Wichita, Kansas, is a true country girl. When Scottie was young, the whole family had to move back to Alabama so her father could take care of his mother. Scottie grew up in a rural Alabama town, one of six children. Her father was a construction worker and her mother worked nights at a cotton mill. Scottie and her siblings would wake up at 4am to get their father up for work and prepare the younger siblings for school until their mother returned from her job.

Scottie helped tending to chickens and cows on the family’s property; instead of taking summer holiday vacations, Scottie worked in their garden planting potatoes and carrots.

Up until the age of 16 everything was going well for Scottie.

Suddenly, however, her younger brother passed away. Scottie was devastated. She turned to drugs and lost interest in her high school classes. Looking back, Scottie now realizes that she was grieving for her brother, and that she simply wanted to hurry up and graduate. Soon after high school graduation she married and had two children. Scottie was able to find a job in the medical field as a certified nursing assistant, CNA. She worked nursing assistant jobs for many years but it was a stressful life, and the income was barely sufficient for the needs of her growing family. Scottie came to feel that she was running in place, living paycheck to paycheck – and she worried that is just how life was supposed to be. Throughout, however, Scottie pushed her own kids to get good educations. And eventually, she decided to practice what she had been preaching to her children about educational attainment.

After she had been working nursing assistant jobs for about 15 years, Scottie hit another bump in the road. The company where she worked downsized and Scottie lost her job. After months of job-hunting, she couldn’t find a position in the same field. Employers told her that despite her lengthy experience, they would not hire her because she did not have education in the medical field. It was then, at age 45, that Scottie made the decision that she had to go back to school and get an education.

Scottie never thought she would go back to school after she graduated from high school. But after she researched some schools, found that Herzing University Online courses offered her the flexibility she needed. She knew she would not have time to go to a campus to attend classes because she was working as a hospice caretaker. Her days consisted of working long hours and then coming home only to study until bed time. It was a rough 16 months and Scottie says that only determination got her through. Her school choice eventually paid off: Herzing helped her find a job after graduation.

After graduating from Herzing at the head of the Dean’s List with honors, Scottie got a job in medical coding and billing. Since starting in May 2007, Scottie has received three pay raises. She says she had little self-esteem before she went to school at 45. Now at 50 years old, Scottie feels very confident in herself.

Her future looks bright. She is scheduled to take the coding certification exam soon and hopes to be able to work from home after she gets her certification. Scottie is looking forward to spending more time at home with her 11 grandchildren.

My name is Douglas Ikeler, I am 54 years old and I never envisioned myself as a Herzing University Online graduate, but here I am. Prior to Herzing, my employment included short-order cook, auto technician, heavy equipment operator, and detailer for motorcycle products. When my wife and I finally decided to relocate from Wisconsin to Arizona, I was faced with a career-altering decision: do I attempt returning to school to further my education, or should I stay with what I am most comfortable with—physical labor? Deciding to further my education, the search began in July 2008 when I had my first encounter with an Admissions Advisor named Amanda Mayer at Herzing that would change my career and my life for the better.

I was both scared and excited at the time. I had the drive and support from my family to do better, but there was always the thought of not following this through to graduation. I had attempted college twice before and both times I dropped out. This time I poured all I had into my classes, and on August 28, 2010, I graduated. Wow! That took a while to sink in. I owe it all to the staff and the instructors at Herzing. You will not find a finer group of people dedicated to the success of their students. After graduation I took the opportunity to complete my CCA exam at the earliest possible moment. Some of the students I graduated with decided it was best to study for the exam and take it at a later time. I thought it would be best for me to take the exam while the teachings were still fresh in my head. For me it worked and I passed the exam which gave me another milestone accomplished!

With the total support and help of my Career Service Specialist, Jennifer DeVerney, I was contacted by a facility for an interview for a coding position. Passing the interview part of the process, I was hired as a coder. WOOHOO!!! None of this would be possible without the help and support of all the wonderful people at Herzing University.

After graduating from Herzing University with a Diploma in Medical Billing and Insurance Coding, I went out for my first job interview with Montgomery Radiology Associates (MRA). My education was mentioned and when I told them that it was an online program they were a little weary of what they were getting. Ultimately, I got hired but not for the billing position I went for; it was a low grade data entry job. However, as I continued my education with Herzing through the Associate and then the Bachelor’s program, MRA started to realize what kind of graduate they could get from online universities. My education over the next few years dramatically impacted my knowledge and understanding of the business and it did not go un-noticed. As I finished my program and decided to sit for the Registered Health Information Administrator (RHIA) certification, I was beginning to stand out. Becoming certified was probably one of the most exciting and influential parts of my education, and I am now a certified RHIA specialist for MRA. My education has opened so many doors and it would not have been possible without Herzing. MRA has had a first look at what Herzing has to offer and they now recommend career colleges and online universities. MRA has grown with exceptional leaps and bounds to accept and respect online programs and they now would be one of the first to hire a graduate from Herzing University.

Hello, my name is Shanda Caruso and I am a Herzing On-line student. I am 33 yrs. old, a busy mother of 4, one of which is a newborn; and a full time sales associate for Allstate Insurance. My college journey began after a long vacation from high school. Try almost 15 years of vacation! My husband is in the United States Army and mentioned that I should go back to college to pursue a degree of some sort. So it was then that I began the daunting task of trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a new career at 33 yrs. old. My husband and I currently live in Louisiana because of his dedication to the military, so I was not sure of where to go for my educational needs first. College after college, I would go talk to advisors, financial aide representatives and anyone that would see me. I felt like no one cared, or was even listening to me. Finally, I had gotten so frustrated with the whole ordeal I had decided that this was going to be too much trouble. No one called me back, or talked to try and help me understand what direction I needed to go in, so I just got so discouraged and thought that it was just not meant to be.

One day, I was sitting in my living room and the education bug started biting me, I then began to look at on-line courses for the degree that I wanted to pursue. I spoke to several on-line colleges, and it seemed to be the same story over and over again. I told myself, “one more call and that is it”. If I didn’t get the results I wanted this time I was giving up. I made the call to Herzing College. The gentleman that answered the phone that day changed my life. Bryan Lutzke is the academic advisor that I was blessed with. I began asking him all the questions that I had asked all the other on-line colleges as well as Universities. He patiently went over every single inquisitive thought I had in my head. Before I knew it, an hour had almost past by. Bryan was so patient with me and had even gone through the process in depth to the point I was ready to sign up that very day! When I got off the phone with Bryan, I felt so full of happiness and excitement to finally be understood and heard. Knowing that I was on my way to fulfilling my dreams of getting a degree in the medical field was such an accomplished sense of satisfaction that I began telling everyone about my experience. Bryan was absolutely a trooper, he called me every day for a week to make sure I had every tool and resource I needed to get all of my paper work and information turned in on time, he even called just to say he supported me and my goals and to tell me what a good job I was doing at getting everything together.

After my college courses started and I realized that I was actually going to school again, I dove right into my classes. It was convenient to be able to log into class whenever I wanted, taking time to be a mother when I needed to be and a student when I chose to be. The on-line tools and academic blackboard are very user friendly which make it easy for me to get over the new school jitters.

Herzing University has definitely won my heart and opinion in being the best and most student friendly college I could have ever wanted. I am ecstatic with my decision to go with Herzing to further my education. Bryan Lutzke and the staff at Herzing have been so attentive, punctual, empathetic, and simply just “ON THE BALL” that I will and have already recommended many colleagues and friends to the wonderful educational world at Herzing.

I can truly say attending Herzing University Online has been one of the greatest experiences I have ever had. My experience with Herzing was awesome from the beginning. I first found them on the Internet. My admissions advisor Lindsay Augustynowicz was great at getting me started and helping me decide just what I was looking to do. When I began my classes it just felt right. I learned more than I ever thought I could at home at my pace. When you have life to take care of and want to better yourself with an education, it is hard to juggle the two. But I have done it and anyone else can do it, too.

Now, I am a graduate with a diploma in Medical Office Administration and even thinking of pursuing my Associate degree in the future. All I can say is thank you for this great opportunity and thank you to all of the staff and professors. You have been great and you have helped me to succeed. As the internship approached, I didn't know where to start and I was thinking about quitting. The Career Services Department stepped right in and said we are here to help, just tell us what you want us to do and email or call if you have any questions at all. Any available information about jobs, job fairs, and resume servicing was being sent to me and I couldn't believe it. The Career Services Department expressed concerns about my happiness on my job. They went the extra mile to help me find a job here in Magnolia, Arkansas. Wow!! I couldn’t have made a better choice.

My name is Bonnie Carter. I live in South Carolina, but I was raised in Pennsylvania. I am a 55-yr old mother of three grown girls with children of their own. I have ten beautiful grandchildren, which can be a handful at times. The things that I love most are camping, boating, fishing, amusement parks, and concerts. The thing that I love more then all of that is when my family and I have our gatherings—nothing means more then to me than family.

I am a six-year cancer survivor and decided it was time to do something with my life. That is when a friend of mine had said she was going to college and that she thought I would be interested. So I checked it out, and I have been at Herzing ever since October of 2008. After I receive my diploma in August, I plan on going for my Associate and then my Bachelor’s degree.
The staff at Herzing is fantastic. When I lost my dad in January, they were there for me…supporting me just like a family would. I have made many friends through Herzing, from my classmates to the staff. I have made a great friend with Jennifer DeVerney; she has been more than a staff member, she has been my mentor, and my friend. That is the way Herzing is with their students. I would recommend anyone who is wanting to go back to college that Herzing University is one they would want to check into.

Life is too short—do what you can, as long as you can.

From an Associate Degree on up to a Master’s Degree… I couldn't have picked a better educational institution to aid in jump-starting my career!!!

If Cinderella could wave her magic wand and sprinkle particles of great life experiences, the Midnight Pumpkin would be packed with my inner joy of studying for my Bachelor's Degree in Legal Studies with Herzing University Online! This month will begin my fourth Term with accelerated classes filled with enjoyable Meet and Greets, discussion threads, readings, presentations, and syllabae...with eager anticipation.

My life as a retired Registered Nurse was too consumed with "word finds and television news broadcasts," until I was introduced to possibilities at Herzing! So many benefits at a fairly reasonable cost, wonderful attention given by each of its staff, and the knowledge that I have gained cannot be beat! At Herzing University Online, I am treated like a person should be treated...with dignity, compassion, patience, sincerity, dependability, and respect. Its instructors are very tuned into the students who communicate openly and honestly, even with regular messages, to express their concerns and rewards of educational challenges.

I truly believe that our educational process has been blessed with extraordinary benefits that Herzing offers its students. During a recent visit to the Milwaukee offices, I saw firsthand the vitality and congeniality of its staff, which made me feel so very much "at home" with every new face I greeted and hand that I shook. It is one thing to take online classes and possibly webcam your instructor in a Wimba classroom. Yet, to visit the campus itself and meet those with whom you computer chat, so much enjoyment is gained!

The classes are rigorous, as there is a great amount of reading and "digesting of the material" in a period of eight weeks. However, getting into a routine of disciplined study time, let alone adequate rest and a proper diet with vibrant exercise, holds the key to great times with Herzing University Online! Time flies by so quickly, that it is no wonder how the months and seasons speed before us. Take time to enjoy the beauty Herzing can make of your life! The risk I have taken is one of the best decisions of my life!