Student/Alumni Profiles
Meet Rachel Sanders
Making a Better Life for Herself and Her Son
Before she gave birth to son Jared (now 14 months) at age 17, Rachel Sanders thought she might be a lawyer. Now she wants to spend time with Jared instead of being in school all the time. She does still love the idea of working in the Criminal Justice system, though. Rachel has found the perfect compromise at Colorado Technical University.
"Some people in my situation might have given up on college altogether, but I knew that if I didn't go to college I wouldn't have the life that I wanted for myself and I wouldn't be able to support my son in the way that I wanted. I had always been fascinated by criminal justice, but realized that law school would mean spending more time away from Jared than I wanted to. At CTU, I can get an Associate's degree and Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice and then work in a law office, the court system, or as an investigator and still spend a lot of time with my family. It's the perfect solution."
Rachel graduated from Colorado Springs' Palmer High School in May and started at CTU in October. She has finished three semesters, earning all A's and one B+. "I hate that B+; it killed my 4.0."
Rachel was a good student in high school—"I never failed a class and generally got A's, but I wasn't a nerd student without a life"—but finds she is even more motivated to do well at CTU than she was in high school. "I want my family to be as proud of me as they can be. And the better my grades are, the more I will stand out. I know that my degree will already help me stand out from lots of other job applicants, but I want employers to be able to look at my transcript and see not only that I have a degree but also how hard I worked for it."
And Rachel is definitely working for her grades. "You don't get good grades here without working. Classes, especially the ones I don't have any background in, are challenging, and teachers are demanding. The most challenging classes—Criminal Law was a tough one—have really had me thinking outside of the box and in new ways and from different perspectives. Classes that I have a bit of knowledge in already are still interesting, too, because the teachers help me get to know more than I already do."
It wasn't just because CTU offered a degree in Criminal Justice and was close to her family that Rachel chose the university. "The schedule is perfect. I like how classes go year-round and how quickly I can be done with my degree. Rachel will have her Associate's degree in a year—only 15 months after she started—and will proceed directly on to get her Bachelor's degree, also at CTU."
"I picked CTU because I liked the way it sounded when I researched it and now that I go here, I've found even more things to like. The other students are motivated—you don't pick a fast-track school if you're not motivated—and I like how there are student evaluations done at the end of every course. That way, courses can be changed for the better for the next students to come along."
"I'm proof most anyone can make time for a degree. School keeps you busy, but the sooner you do it, the sooner it is over with and the sooner your life is better."
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