When Dr. Sandra Holley of Charlotte finished her doctorate in accounting in May, she started making phone calls to people she wanted to thank for helping her get to this point in her life. One of her first calls was to Dr. Devon Hall, her former business instructor at 蜜桃视频.
鈥淚 told Dr. Hall I wouldn鈥檛 have gotten here without 蜜桃视频,鈥� said Holley, who is an accounting professor at Pfeiffer University. 鈥淗e said, 鈥榊ou need to come talk to my students.鈥欌��
So Holley returned to 蜜桃视频 to share her success story with students in the business and accounting programs and also provide some advice about advancing their credentials and education.
鈥淚 moved from Kentucky to Laurinburg when I was 18,鈥� Holley said. 鈥淚 went to work on a hog farm soon after graduating high school.鈥�
Knowing that was not the job she wanted for the rest of her life, she decided to go to college, and 蜜桃视频 was close and affordable.
In 1998, she started in the nursing program at 蜜桃视频, but quickly realized that wasn鈥檛 the right career for her. She then switched to the Business Administration program and began dabbling in accounting after taking an assessment test that indicated she was more suited for that career.
Right before Holley graduated in 2000, Hall helped her get an internship with Butler Manufacturing.
鈥淲hat started as a six-week gig turned into a two-year gig,鈥� Holley said.
Holley said she really enjoyed working for the company and wanted to apply for a cost accounting position that was available, but it required a four-year degree, so she went back to school to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree from St. Andrews University. Even though she finished her bachelor鈥檚 in record time thanks to almost all of her credits transferring from 蜜桃视频, the company instituted a hiring freeze, and she found herself without a job.
Holley moved to Charlotte and starting working for a children鈥檚 home as a staff accountant. She also decided to further her education and began working on her master鈥檚 degree through the University of Phoenix.
Holley later became a controller for a construction company and took some other various accounting jobs before the job market tanked in 2008. Once again, she found herself without a job.
鈥淚 had to make a decision: either default on my student loans or go back to school. So I started on my Ph.D. through Capella University, another online university,鈥� she said.
After many twists and turns in her life, Holley feels she has hit the jackpot working as an instructor at Pfeiffer University.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not work if you love what you鈥檙e doing,鈥� she said.
She said she enjoys teaching because it allows her to share not only knowledge from a book, but also knowledge she has gained from all the different jobs she鈥檚 had.
A mother of three children with her husband, Brian, Holley is a huge proponent of the community college, which she said is a place to discover yourself and figure out what you want to do in life.
鈥淥ut of all of my educational experiences with the different universities, 蜜桃视频 was the best experience for me,鈥� she said. 鈥淐apella was the hardest, but RCC was the best. The attention you receive from the instructors here is so great.鈥�
鈥淚 remember Sandra as a very tenacious student when she was here,鈥� business instructor Alan Questell said. 鈥淪he was a single mother at the time, with all the challenges that brings, but very determined to make a better life for her family and herself. I'm glad that she remembers her time here at 蜜桃视频 fondly.鈥�
Hall, who is now Dean of Applied Sciences & Engineering for 蜜桃视频, was glad to have Holley come back to visit 蜜桃视频 and be an example for his students of what can be achieved with a two-year business degree.
鈥淒r. Holley went from being a 20-year-old working on a hog farm to a professor at an esteemed university,鈥� Hall said. 鈥淚 am proud that 蜜桃视频 played such a key role in her life and that getting her in the Business Administration program was a catalyst for her success.鈥�
Learn more about the or programs at 蜜桃视频, or contact Dr. Hall at (910) 410-1912 or dghall@richmondcc.edu.