Stephanie Lampp, 36
Georgia Southwestern State University
Major: Criminal Justice
With 15 years of police experience under her belt, Stephanie had started to see opportunities for advancement come and go because of just one thing: her lack of a 4-year degree. Now, she’s starting the new year by tackling one of her biggest goals (and fears) and going back to school online through Georgia Southwestern State University. Read more about Stephanie, and the journey she’s taken to get to this place in her life.
Tell us a little about yourself. Other than being a brand new college student, what do you spend your time doing? I am a Lieutenant in the Police Department at Middle Georgia State University. I oversee day to day operations on our Dublin and Eastman Campuses. I am the Training Coordinator, Assessment Coordinator, & Clery Coordinator. I am married (10 years) to a Drug Agent and we have an 8-year-old daughter. Our schedules are often hectic and never the same. Our family loves camping. We go as often as we can and feel it is important to spend this time together making memories. I love to read books during my downtime and my husband often jokes that he lost me to a Kindle = ). My husband also has a cook team (Pigs cooking Pork), and we spend a lot of time mixing cooking with our camping.
In 2009 I almost died due to HELPP syndrome. My daughter was born 3 months early as a result and was 2lbs 9oz. In the following year, I lost my ability to walk. The steroids that were given to me to develop my daughter’s lungs caused my hip joints to deteriorate. From 2009-2015 I’ve had both my hips replaced and a portion of my lower back fixed. I say that to say this: It’s a miracle that I am still able to serve in any capacity in Law Enforcement. It’s the only job I know and it is important to get an education so that when I’m too old to work a beat— I’ll be able to work on the administration side to finish out my career. I try to remind myself every day that life is precious.
What circumstances led you to return to school at this time in your life? I have been in law enforcement for 15 years. In 2003, I chose this career because it was a skilled trade and didn’t require a college degree. Here I am 15 years later and policing in higher education has transitioned and now does require a degree for ranking positions. As a Lieutenant, I am as high as I can go at my institution without having a 4-year degree. Although I do have an Associate’s degree, doors are starting to close in my face because I don’t have that last 2 years of education.
Why did you choose this particular program? Returning to school had been on my mind for quite some time. One day, an email came through from the University System office about the eMajor program in Criminal Justice. It was completely online, could be paid for by my employer’s tuition assistance program, and there was even a chance to earn college credit for some of my training and experience. I jumped right on it! The admissions team at Georgia Southwestern helped push my application through so that I could meet the tuition assistance deadlines to start in January.
Why is completing your college degree important to you? I want to retire with the University System, and I want to be able to pursue opportunities for advancement within the system during that time. Most importantly going back to school is intimidating to me. I am overwhelmed with feelings of defeat and dread that I can’t succeed, and I feel like I need to prove myself wrong about that.
What is your experience with online classes, and why did you choose to complete the program online? Our law enforcement required training has moved to online training, so I am more comfortable with it now than I was when I first attended school 10+ years ago. My job and home life do not allow the time needed to go sit in a classroom. I am a wife and a mom; online classes are my only option to obtaining a 4-year degree.
How and when do you plan to make time to spend on your school work? My plan is to spend the first two hours that I’m off every day and dedicate it to school work. I will let you know how it works!
What goals would you like to accomplish after earning your degree? The goal at the moment is just to prove to myself that I can do it. Beyond that, I want the next Captain’s position.
What would you say to someone who is considering taking their first online class or returning to school after being out for many years? It’s a scary thing to commit to but it’s not unachievable. If it were, people wouldn’t be succeeding at it every day. I constantly tell myself that, “they are going to provide you with what you need to know to be successful.”
Stephanie is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree through Georgia Southwestern State University completely online through USG eMajor. For more information on this program, or Credit for Prior Learning opportunities with eMajor, please visit emajor.usg.edu.
Comments
Ben