Online Student Travels 3,000 Miles to Attend Graduation

During his military career, it seemed like Shaquon Whitaker was always on the move. In just a few short years after joining the Army, he went from South Korea to Fort Lewis, Washington, then Germany, and finally back to Washington. For that reason, attending school in an actual classroom was pretty much out of the question.

With less than three years left on his enlistment, Shaquon wanted to earn a degree before he left the service. “I didn’t want to wait to attend college until after I was out,” he says. “I wanted to start my new life the moment I took off the uniform. That’s why I chose ECPI University. Not only could I do everything online while I was still serving and moving around, I could also do it in an accelerated format, finishing in just 2.5 years.”

As a soldier, Shaquon spent most of his time working in food management and operations. Doing that, he acquired a range of administrative skills that he thought would translate well into a business career. Shaquon enrolled in the Business Management program and, at first, he says it was fairly intense. “Being a full-time soldier and a full-time student was a pretty tall order, but I was never without help when I needed it,” he says. “My advisor was always checking in to see how I was doing and my teachers were very accessible.”

Shaquon has now earned his Bachelor’s degree and just enrolled in ECPI University’s Master of Science program in Management with a Concentration in Organizational Leadership. First, however, there was one thing he absolutely had to do. Even though he was an online student, he wanted to experience walking across a stage to receive his degree. So, he and his wife traveled more than 3,000 miles to Virginia to do just that. “I did not take my studies very seriously in high school,” he says. “I worked hard to earn my degree and I wanted to reward myself with the full graduation experience, and I am so glad that I did. It was such a great feeling.”

Having spent years in the military taking orders, Shaquon has little interest in becoming an employee. So once he finishes his master’s, he plans to start his own business and begin carving out a life for himself as an entrepreneur.