Inspired by Her Family, College Leader Earns Degree to Better Serve Parents

Family is very important to La Taschya Harris. When she enrolled in a doctoral program after 15 years of working with students who are also parents at National Park College in Hot Springs, it was partly to prove she could achieve her dream while caring for her adult son with disabilities.

Harris shares that role with another adult son, who has a tattoo that reads, "I am my brother's keeper." Devotion to one another is a value that runs deep in the Harris family.

Harris directs Career Pathways at the community college, part of a statewide program in which she oversees student mentoring, community partnerships and support services to help parents reach self-sufficiency. She earned a Doctor of Education in adult and lifelong learning with a concentration in community college leadership from the College of Education and Health Professions.

"I wish parents with disabled children would consider online programs because, number one, you get to stay at home with your child, but number two, you get to pursue your passion," Harris said. "Oftentimes, parents with disabled kids get so caught up in the situation that they forget about themselves, and I think it's so important to feed both sides of yourself, your child being your heart, your education being your mind. … Online programs such as U of A are the best way to do it, I believe."

Earning a doctorate delivered online benefited her and those around her, she said, and not just after she was finished but while she was taking courses and working on her dissertation.

"Finding that program that was so specific to my profession was perfect," Harris said. "It helped me be able to mentor more students and encourage students like my professors encouraged me. Learning the theories and applying them to our job just makes you more confident in the workplace, but it also makes you look really, really, really smart in front of your superiors."

Razorbug Diploma Tour

The Razorbug Diploma Tour visited National Park College on June 10 to honor Harris. Niki Avery, teaching assistant professor, coordinates the adult and lifelong learning doctoral program. She presented a framed diploma to Harris for her Doctor of Education degree in the program. Harris was surrounded by co-workers, friends and family members. State Rep. Les Warren of Hot Springs also attended the ceremony along with Wade Derden, president of National Park College, and other college officials.

"Anyone wanting to pursue a degree online has to be self-motivated, has to be comfortable being self-motivated even during difficult times," Harris said. "For me, there were times that my son wasn't feeling well, and I still had to do my homework and get a paper in on time."

Having a strong support system - in addition to her family - is vital, she said, and that's what she had in the other students in her cohort.

"We worked together well, and, when I had to take care of my son, they would keep me in the loop of everything," Harris said. "I think anybody that attempts to pursue an online degree needs to really get in a cohort that's cohesive, that's friendly, there's a lot of camaraderie there."

She also relied on professors' support, Harris said.

"Even in the midst of some of my difficulties, they would say, 'Well, you've got this. You're OK,'" she said. "They never allowed me to give up. They always encouraged me, and that's what I try to pour into other people, but I really needed it while I was in this online program and the school provided that for me."

Supporting Others

Harris has directed the Career Pathways program at National Park College since 2015. It offers career training and classes to those who qualify. They must be parents or guardians and meet income eligibility guidelines. The program helps remove barriers by providing funds for such services as child care, transportation, tuition and fees, textbooks and supplies.

The community college leadership focus of the adult and lifelong learning doctoral program fit her professional needs, Harris said. Applying what she learned in real time, the classes helped her be a better colleague, better leader and better mentor to Career Pathways students, she said.

Her No. 1 tip to prospective students, whatever program they are considering, is to determine what motivates them.

"For me, I was motivated by my son," Harris said. "I wanted to prove that I could be successful with him next to me, and I want parents to just take that first step. If I were to talk to a person, and they were skeptical about joining or nervous or apprehensive, I would definitely ask, 'What is your motivation? What drives you? Whatever drives you in your personal life can also drive you in education.' And sometimes it's that need to succeed. I just want to see if I can do it."

Studying Online

Harris described resources and services available online as monumental for her success.

Blackboard Learn, the university's learning management system, comes with step-by-step instructions, she said, that always end by offering the student additional assistance if needed. U of A Libraries also provides resources and assistance to students studying online.

"Getting ready to do research was scary, going through all of those databases, but they have someone from the library to talk you through it, to give you guidance," Harris said. "Everything was so accessible, everyone was so accessible, so it was not like everything was online and you didn't have access to real people. Once I got past the fear of 'I don't know this' and 'I don't know that,' then talking to them, they would say, 'Well, this is all you have to do,' and I would say, 'Oh, that's not so bad.'"

She connected an experience that occurred several times to the theory of planned happenstance developed by John Krumboltz. According to the theory, many important opportunities in life and work come from unexpected events, and there are five skills that help people benefit from these opportunities: curiosity, persistence, flexibility, optimism and risk-taking.

Harris said she several times found information from a textbook valuable when a particular discussion or situation came up in meetings with her colleagues.

"They would say, 'Oh, we didn't know that,'" Harris said. "Just me happening to be in rooms and to be able to give input and to see my colleagues and my superiors kind of impressed with what I knew - that happened several times during my doctoral program, and I would always walk out of there like, 'Oh yeah, this is a good program. This is good. They're making me look good.'"