Southeast Online Student Sabrina Presley Perseveres, Aspires to Become Social Worker

2015 Apr 30

It was love at first step for Sabrina Presley of Lowndes, Missouri, when she walked onto Southeast Missouri State University's campus at the age of eight to present a History Fair project.

Now, Presley is a Southeast student herself pursuing a degree exclusively online. Along the way she also has faced life's challenges, fueling her will to become a social worker upon her graduation.

"I am very passionate about helping others," Presley said.

"I knew someday I was going to go to Southeast. This was always the plan. I didn't even apply to any other colleges," Presley said.

She was determined to attend college, but the path to Southeast was not paved smoothly for her. She was the first in her family to attend college, and she has witnessed the sacrifices her family has made to help her achieve her dream.

Hard work and perseverance will pay off for Presley when she graduates with a Bachelor of Arts in social science from Southeast in May 2016.

She is one of few students completing a degree entirely online without transferring any credit from other institutions or returning to Southeast after earning a few credits, according to Chelsea Caile of Southeast Online.

"There have been many stressful nights where I have just broken down in tears trying to get through whatever assignment I was freaking out about at the time. Overall, it will be the best feeling ever when I walk across that stage," Presley said.

"My graduation will not just show the hard work that I have done, but the hard work that my parents have done as well," Presley said. "Since my parents had seen that it was possible for me to excel in school, then there was never an option not to. I was always expected to do my very best on everything that I have ever done. Fortunately this attitude has gotten me very far in life, and I will continue to use it."

"Neither of my parents graduated from high school, nor did they attend college," Presley said. "Honestly, my whole life I have seen my parents struggle. As a family, we may have only lived paycheck to paycheck, but I can definitely look back now and say that I had an amazing life thanks to all the hard work my dad has done."

He is a role model for his family.

"My dad always had a motto in our house -- 'work hard now in school so that you don't have to work hard later.' Both of my parents always stressed that if I found a career that I loved then, I wouldn't work a day in my life."

She says she has seen many of her friends ruling out college because of financial constraints. However, Presley did not allow that to prevent her from pursuing her dream of attaining a college degree. It also did not stop her parents, who were driven to help her.

"Growing up I did not have money...my father worked his tail off working to make a life for my siblings and me," Presley said. "My mother and father always had to work hard, and they wanted a better life for me. That's why they have always done everything they could in order to provide options to me for my future," Presley said.

She said she was determined not to allow anything to prevent her from going to college. She researched her options, decided to remain in her hometown and began an online program through Southeast.

While working on her online degree, Presley married a fellow Southeast Online student.

"My husband and I have the kind of attitudes where we encourage each other to 'keep on keepin' on.' Overall, when I graduate from Southeast, I know my husband will be extremely proud of me because we have gone through both of our college experiences together. Also, we both agree that college has been the most difficult thing that either of us has done, and the finish line will only be that much more rewarding," Presley said.

"You have no idea how proud my parents are that I am graduating," Presley said. "It will be a huge day for me."