Kimberly Sontag

A proud mother of three children, Kimberly Sontag deferred her college aspirations to focus on raising her family. But as her children grew up, Kimberly began looking ahead to the next milestones in her life, and she knew it was finally time to fulfill her college dreams.

Back in 2010, Kimberly was working as a substitute teacher at the school her children attended. Her kids were rapidly approaching adulthood, and she wanted to be able to secure a good job once she was ready to re-enter the workforce full-time. Following a friend’s recommendation, Kimberly enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Management program at Ashford University*. Ashford’s online programs fit perfectly into Kimberly’s tight schedule.

“It gave me flexibility to work, raise my kids, and go to school,” Kimberly explains. “I was nervous about starting college but quickly grew to love my studies.”

Adding college to her other responsibilities wasn’t always easy for Kimberly, but she made it work.

“It was challenging trying to balance work, kids, and school,” she says. “There were many nights that I would put my kids to bed and stay up late doing homework, discussions, and essays. With challenge came reward and my greatest reward is the perseverance I found within to accomplish my goal.”

It all paid off in 2014 when Kimberly completed her degree and graduated from Ashford.

“I graduated Summa Cum Laude,” she says. “I am so proud of what I accomplished with this degree.”

There was one other unexpected benefit of Kimberly’s Ashford education: it revealed an interest in writing that she had never realized before. This revelation would have later significance in her career path.

“The extensive essays that were written really helped to spark my interest to teach writing skills to other students,” Kimberly says. “After completing my business degree with Ashford, I completed an alternate certification program to become a teacher. I found that the organizational management degree enriched the skills I needed to be an effective leader in the classroom.”

Today, Kimberly teaches 10th grade English and is delighted to share her knowledge with her students. 

“I am able to inspire students to succeed and share my own story with my classes,” she says. “I have a great job that I love and pursuing my degree is what has allowed me this opportunity.”

* Ashford University is now the University of Arizona Global Campus