Ashford University

Get a personal perspective of life at Ashford University from students who live it.

• Ashley Castro
• Ashley Randazzo
• Tom Alfano
• Melissa Meeks

Ashley Castro

"Success is right in front of you, if you are willing to work hard to achieve it." So says recent Ashford University graduate Ashley Castro, of Savanna, IL. When starting her college studies, she was a new mother, working afternoons and evenings, so she chose to start out in Ashford's ASPIRE program, taking evening classes one night a week on Ashford's campus in Clinton. Castro found Ashford to be "the only place around that provided a highly accessible education which fit perfectly into my lifestyle." Then she switched over to Ashford's online degree program. She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Management degree and graduated with honors in December, 2007.

She scored an early victory very soon after graduation, landing a job as a coordinator with Tyler's Justice Center for Children. Tyler's is a non-profit organization that works with children and their families during times of crisis. Their mission is to lessen child victims' trauma by providing services to victims of abuse. Her job involves coordinating interviews on behalf of a multi-disciplinary team, tracking cases, and maintaining contact with families for the length of their cases. "Right away this sparked my interest, because I have a long history of working in social-service organizations," Castro reports. "I love the idea that I can be helping a good cause while working full-time. I was hired at Tyler's the first of February, and I couldn't be happier with my position!" With her extensive courses in organizational management, Castro's education from Ashford proved critical in finding a good job, fast.

"The experience I had with Ashford has been completely positive," she says. "I had several teachers who sincerely wanted to help me as a student, and I had several classes that taught me things I use in my career today." Castro is just one of the many hundreds of Ashford graduates who have achieved success in their careers after completing their degrees through Ashford University. Thanks to Ashford's affordable, accelerated, and convenient courses offerings, graduates like Ashley Castro have the knowledge and credentials they need to make a difference in their community.

Ashley Randazzo

Having graduated from high school and with some community college credits, Ashley began to research her higher education options. "I researched a lot of different schools and all were too expensive, too far away, and not as prestigious as I wanted for my degree. I found Ashford University and everything about it was a perfect fit. I needed to work full-time, so the online coursework was really appealing, and although Ashford is not cheap, as no college is, it is certainly more affordable than most. I received most of my help from Lisa Kenter, an Enrollment Advisor, who walked me through the process, answered my endless array of questions, and refused to let me fall through the financial aid system cracks."

Fortunately, Ashley was also able to transfer in all 60 of her community college credits to help accelerate her program track. And although the financial burden has, at times, been difficult to manage, Ashley knows that she is on the right path to help herself and to inspire others. "It is my hope to inspire my mother through the success of my academics by showing that even when you are told that you cannot succeed because your dreams are too great or because there is too much against you, it is still possible to create change and to conquer the fears that we shelter within ourselves, and that it is always possible, at any age, to begin living the type of lives that we have all imagined for ourselves."

Tom Alfano

If there's anybody who can keep both his feet on the ground while also having his head in the clouds, Tom Alfano is that person. A self-proclaimed "aviation geek," Alfano is also a hard-working national training manager for a Fortune 500 health care company based on Long Island. But what helped him get there was Ashford University.

"I had two years of college under my belt already so it came down to an unfinished journey and a goal that I wanted to fill. But the search for a college wasn't easy. I spoke to over 15 different schools before choosing Ashford. When I came across Ashford, I found a school that didn't try to sell me anything. They got to know me, they asked me what my goals were in life, they asked me about my current goings-on in life, they just simply wanted to know who I was before even a word was mentioned about degree programs."

It was also important to Alfano that Ashford University had a physical campus in Iowa. "I did not want to go to just an online school. I felt it was important that the school I chose have a campus and one that was rich in history. Ashford's history means they have a deep culture in education and understand what it means to hold a degree. When I walked on Ashford's campus in Clinton, Iowa, for graduation it was like I belonged there. I didn't feel unfamiliar with my surroundings or that I was a stranger. That feeling confirmed I made the right decision and helped to make my journey come full circle."

Alfano graduated from Ashford University with his BA in Organizational Management in May 2007. During his time as a student, he found the challenges came when he was on the road for his job. "I was doing schoolwork cramped in a plane seat with a large textbook, laptop, and note pad writing a 15 page paper. There were times when even the hotels I stayed in didn't have a good internet connection and some of my work was turned in late. Thankfully the professors understood the challenges I faced and worked with me."

In his current job, Alfano handles managing, designing, coordinating and delivering system training, new hire training, call center quality assurance training, governmental regulatory radiation safety training, and leadership training to an audience of over 1000 employees. His degree in Organizational Management lends itself to Alfano excelling in these tasks and will help him gain more responsibility in his position and beyond. "This degree has just opened up a world of opportunity. I don't feel restricted, meaning if I want to further my career I know I have the freedom to do that since I earned my degree. The feeling of professional freedom is awesome!" In his off-time, you can find Alfano at the gym or at a local airport taking photos of planes. He's had some of his images published worldwide, so he's happy to add professional photographer to his resume. You can also find some of his writing online at nycaviation.com where he explores the world of a frequent business traveler. He's also first in line to recommend Ashford University. "After I came back from Clinton and people were congratulating me, a close friend and also my cousin asked me what it was like to take online classes. After discussing it with them they began their own online programs at Ashford to fulfill their lifetime goals."

And to anyone else who is unsure about taking the leap to a degree, Alfano offers this advice: "JUST DO IT! It may seem like a long journey but it's exciting, fun, and challenging. Then before you know it, your Academic Advisor is saying, 'This is your last class before you graduate.' The journey itself is what you make of it; if you really want to do it, you will and if you don't, you'll never know what truly could have been. From the bottom of my heart, I deeply feel I was a part of something, part of a school that understands the challenges of today's world and that everyone is their own unique person. Ashford is there to help you along the journey that is life. I truly feel that I am Ashford University."

Melissa Meeks

Diving back into college after years away from school was not an easy choice for Meeks, but once she'd committed herself to earn her degree, Ashford became an obvious choice. "I chose Ashford because all of my previous credits transferred in," she says. "I could get financial aid, and I liked that I could take just one class at a time and still graduate in less time than it would haven taken on a campus." Best of all was the personal relationships she developed at Ashford. "I really liked my Enrollment Advisor, Brianna Lipton. She and I just clicked from the start and her energy and excitement matched mine. When she told me that she was taking classes at Ashford as well, that just reeled me in."

Pursuing her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration is a perfect fit for this ambitious and driven woman, whose life experiences have been very eclectic. "I have been a full-time hairstylist, a full-time college student, and a full-time mother of two girls," she recounts, "and currently, I have decided to move back to Texas so that my ex-husband and I can raise our children in closer proximity. This is a scary change for me, but having both parents close to their children is my top priority right now." The convenience and accessibility of Ashford's classes online has paved the way for Meeks to make this transition while still keeping her family first. Despite everything, Meeks is still proud to say, "I want to set an example to my children that even though life may become challenging with unexpected hardships, you should never give up on your goals. After all, if everything were handed to us on a silver platter, then we wouldn't appreciate it as much."