“I am confident that the valuable education I receive here from the incredible professors will serve me in my profession as an educator and law student.”
–Maria Linda Mabry, online BA in humanities graduate
To call Maria Linda Mabry “driven” would be a serious understatement. While completing her online Bachelor of Arts in Humanities from UT Permian Basin, this mother of three also returned to working full time as a teacher’s aide. None of this deterred her from taking 18 credit hours in her final months of the program and making the dean’s list doing it. Then, less than two weeks after graduating with her humanities degree in December 2023, she was accepted into UTPB’s online MA in Spanish program.
A 20-Year Absence From School
“I’m a nontraditional student because I’m 43 years old,” Mabry began. “I actually started as an in-person student back in Laredo, Texas, my hometown, when I was in my early 20s. I was a psychology major. [Then] I had three kids, so I kind of took a long break from school because I worked, and I did other things and financial issues came up. During the pandemic, I was really inspired, and I was like, ‘Wow, we don’t know how many days we have left and if we want to do something …’ That whole time we were stuck at home for self-reflection, there was a lot of time to really go over things. So, I told myself, ‘I’m gonna go back and just push myself and do it.’”
Finding Her Place in Humanities as a Transfer Student
Determined to return to college, Mabry looked for a program like the one she started in her 20s. She found it, with added benefits, in UTPB’s online humanities program. “I’m just a very artistic person, and I like so many different things that I wanted a major that allowed me to explore different disciplines. When I saw the options that UTPB had, I looked at all the courses that were required to graduate. And since I was originally a psychology major and my minor was art history, a lot of the art history classes that I took were able to be transferred into this degree. Off the bat, I think I had about 30 hours that transferred—a big chunk of what I had to take.”
“The Ivy League of Public Schools”
“I had always had a dream of having a degree from the UT System,” Mabry explained. “I’ve read about the institution. I know they have high standards for hiring professors. They have high standards from their students. I feel that it’s the Ivy League of the public schools, you know. You say ‘UT’ and people are like, ‘Wow!’ It’s well-known, well-respected. I just really like the flexibility they have.”
Mabry discovered that flexibility was a distinguishing feature of her humanities program: “When I saw that I could pick concentrations, I’m like, ‘Well, that’s perfect,’ because they didn’t even have that option back when I went in [the] 2000s. [During] your core curriculum, you’re able to choose certain classes based on what subjects interest you most. My concentrations were Spanish, history, music, and communication, but most of my classes were in Spanish and history. And I did that on purpose because I want to eventually get certified to teach Spanish, since I’m bilingual.”
This flexibility enabled Mabry to complete those 18 credits in her final months before graduation. “UTPB [has] a lot of options where courses are 8 weeks or 7 weeks. So, I literally took 12 hours, four classes, for the whole four months, but then two of the classes were only from October to December, which is kind of difficult. But it worked out for me.”
Dedicated Faculty
Mabry was impressed with her professors, and one in particular. “They have a good open-door policy. If I had a question, I could always email them, and all of the professors would reply back.”
“When I was a little girl I got inspired by the Indiana Jones movies,” Mabry continued. “Because I’ve always been a history buff, I wanted to go to a university that really invested in their history professors. I would research where the professors went to school, [and found] the humanities director for my program, [Associate Professor of History] Dr. Spickermann. I actually got to meet him at the graduation. He’s just a very good professor. I learned so much from him. I took three classes with him. I feel like it really helped my writing skills, because I love writing. He helped us become even better writers.”
Applying What She Learned Directly to Her Current Job
“When I decided to go back into the classroom as a bilingual teacher aide, I started working there the last three months [of my humanities program]. I remember going to Dr. Spickermann one time, [and] I told him that I was kind of nervous about an assignment we had. And he’s, ‘Yeah, but that’s how we grow. Even though you’re going out of your comfort zone, that’s what’s gonna help you grow.’ So just the fact that my professors were inspiring, I’m able to apply that with my students.”
That wasn’t all Mabry brought into her job. “I think that being an online student really helped me hone my skills when it comes to classroom management, because I apply those same skills throughout the day for my students. Online [learning] builds a lot of character because even though the professors are motivating you and doing their job, they’re only gonna do so much. It’s on you to be on top of everything and organized. And I feel that that whole aspect of taking accountability for what you’re doing has helped me with my job right now.”
From the Classroom to the Courtroom
Mabry already has her professional trajectory mapped out, with her degrees as a foundation: “I loved my experience at UTPB obtaining my BA in 2023 so much, the experience inspired me to pursue my MA in Spanish,” Mabry said. “God willing, I will graduate with my MA this year in December. I know that what I have learned via UTPB will serve me well in my future career as an attorney. My goal is to be involved in advocacy first as an educator and then as an attorney to advocate for equitable policies and healthcare reform.”
See where a BA in humanities—online exclusively at this UT System institution—can take you professionally! Get program details, request more information, and apply here.