Barbara began her higher education journey at Pellissippi State Community College, Tennessee in fall 2017. She will reverse transfer for an associate’s in communication, history, and political science. Currently, she is an online senior receiving a bachelor’s in business administration with a concentration in marketing at the University of the Cumberlands, tentatively in May 2025. Upon transferring to Vol State in fall 2018, she was a student representative serving on the instructional assessment committee and a Phi Theta Kappa member. Barbara believes that one should “always take the opportunities given to you,” and sought opportunities through several national education fellowships including OpenStax, The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, Every Learner Everywhere, Achieving the Dream, and Today's Students Coalition. She has had opportunities to write blog articles, attend conferences, sit on various education panel sessions, manage a social media account, and attend legislative training and higher education advocacy in DC. Each opportunity allows Barbara to advocate for college student's unique needs. Through professional and volunteer experience, Barbara was a project manager who leveraged volunteers, vendors, and students to create well-attended local events. She enjoys administration, organization, technology, and learning people's unique stories. Barbara appreciates living in a rural area, enjoying her grandsons, sewing, blogging, harvesting the garden, and advising potential college students. She is a self-proclaimed state education policy nerd. She is most proud of being a first-generation college student, who married her high school sweetheart - now college sweetheart. She is equally proud to have two children graduate from Tennessee Tech University.Barbara has hopes of creating education policy changes at the local and/or federal level to break down student barriers or to become a director at her local community college (Motlow, Sparta Campus) to advise students in gaining a college degree.