Mary Pat realized she wanted to work with children shortly after she had started her career in public relations. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill, she knew she wanted to be in the classroom everyday. Quitting a job and starting a new career path took a lot of courage, but was worth the risk. 

Mary Pat was looking for an education to help her succeed in the classroom and that’s where UGA Online came in. Several of her family members have attended UGA and she knew UGA was an outstanding place to learn, be academically challenged and watch football! Researching the Masters programs, Mary Pat saw UGA offered interesting and diverse courses that addressed topics she was interested in. She had just moved to Atlanta and the online program allowed her to be flexible and attend UGA without being in Athens.  

Now, Mary Pat is working on her M.Ed. in reading education and is teaching second grade at an independent school in Atlanta. She believes the online program will advance her teaching to benefit her students. Mary Pat is excited about this degree because she believes it will open doors in terms of future career opportunities. She is interested in curriculum development, educational policy, foundations of reading and reading specialist opportunities. She also spent two years at UNC-Asheville earning a teaching certificate.

One piece of advice she’d give to new online students is to make an effort to get to know your classmates. Life is easier if you have others to talk to, compare notes, discuss assignments and share ideas. In Mary Pat’s free time, she likes to do yoga, spend time with her husband and dog. She is currently learning how to play the harmonica and so far, her dog is not a fan.