Grace Ingram

Grace Ingram knew what she wanted to do, and where she wanted to do it. The only thing standing between her and her career goal was a bachelor's degree.

"I was very interested in working at El Centro de la Raza," Grace said. But the job she wanted at the Seattle nonprofit required a four-year degree.

Grace tried to finish her bachelor's through a couple other programs but she said they were not "good fits." Then she discovered the online Early Care & Education program.

"It was perfect for me, because I had the ability to complete my degree at a highly respected educational institution and I could do it online," said Grace, who graduated in 2015. "Finishing my degree at the UW was a dream come true."

Here Grace discusses her experience in the program and how earning a UW degree has helped her accomplish both professional and personal goals. 

Can you tell us about your current job and why you wanted to work there? 

I'm working as a family support specialist at El Centro de la Raza in Seattle. I enroll families, do a lot of family support and provide service referrals for well-child exams, dental care, healthy parents programs, food banks and nutritious meals. I really enjoy that kind of work.

One reason I wanted to work at El Centro de la Raza was because of their social justice work. They care a lot about the community and they welcome everyone, regardless of race or religion or nationality. I think that's a beautiful thing. I've always searched for a place like that and I feel like I've found it.

Why did you decide to enroll in this program?

I really needed to finish my degree and the opportunity came up for the early childhood education program from the University of Washington. It combined both things that I really love and am passionate about, which are education and supporting families. It was an outstanding opportunity.

And I lived in Bremerton. Because I had the ability to do the program online, it was more of a possibility that I could accomplish the goal.

How did earning your bachelor's degree help you in your career?

If it wasn't for my degree I wouldn't be able to do my job, because having this position requires a bachelor's degree. I had to submit my transcripts and prove that I had it.

Why was completing your degree important on a personal level?

It had been a dream of mine to complete my bachelor's degree, but it's not an easy thing to do when you have children — I have four kids. When I was young, it wasn't something that I thought was going to be in my future. My mother was disabled and there weren't a lot of resources. I started thinking, I'll never be able to do this, so I'm not even going to try.

Then when I was older, I started thinking, Wait a minute. I've always loved school. I'm not going to give up on it. That's something I wanted to teach my kids, that you can change your life and this is how you do it. They said, "Hey, Mom's taking college courses, so it's possible and I can do it, too."

What were your favorite things about the program?

My academic advisor was awesome. She really encouraged me along the way, the whole two years. I had different challenges going on personally — four kids, working full-time. She would say, "Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you. I'll reach out to the instructors and see what I can do." She was very supportive and that helped me get through it.

I would also say the communication between all the instructors working as a team was great. The whole program team working together to support students and be flexible. All of them helped me to finish, and I was able to walk across the stage and get my diploma.

Read more about Grace's story on the UW Continuum College website.