2024 Grad Spotlight: Kayla Hicks
Kayla Hicks graduated from Gaston College last week with an associate degree in business administration. A dual enrollment student, she will earn her bachelor’s degree in business administration from Arizona State University in December. This is an impressive achievement on its own, but the fact that Kayla is also a wife, the mother of two young children, the primary caretaker for a sister with disabilities, and works from home as an account development representative, makes it even more remarkable.
Kayla struggled with determining a career path, so she reached out to the advisors at Gaston College who helped her narrow down the options and she took their recommendation to enroll in the Business Administration/Human Resources pathway. “This was especially appealing to me,” said Kayla. “It is a very broad program that can be used in various careers, including team leadership roles, management, payroll, account manager, etc.”
Within a month after starting at Gaston College in summer 2022, Kayla discovered she was pregnant with her second child. She did not let that stop her and she grew to love the program she was in because she wanted to achieve a degree that ensured her career options were open.
After graduating from both colleges, she intends to continue at ASU to get her master’s degree and expects to determine her ultimate career goals through her studies or as she begins working in various capacities.
Juggling her personal, school and work commitments and overcoming obstacles she has faced has been a challenge, but courses that she has taken helped teach Kayla how to succeed. “Life is tough, and I certainly have experienced that,” she said. “Through communication courses, I learned to communicate more effectively and that has helped me resolve conflicts that may arise. I also learned how to manage my time more effectively and compartmentalize my life.”
From helping her choose the program of study that was a good fit for her to working with her when her high-risk pregnancy interfered with the on-time completion of course assignments, Gaston College has supported Kayla all the way. “I have had excellent teachers who have helped me when life went off-track and who have gone above and beyond for me,” said Kayla.
Kayla has learned that, no matter how busy or difficult life can get, just one college course a semester can make a difference. And when she hears her 8-year-old son say that he wants to be a college student just like his mom, all the effort and struggles are worth it.
