A Lifelong Bearcat: Latasha Marshall, Health Information Management

At the University of Cincinnati, Latasha Marshall has always found opportunities to continue her education. It isn’t always an easy choice to return to school, especially when you add prior credit, a full-time career, and raising kids to the mix.

For Latasha, online learning ended up being the perfect fit. We spoke with her recently to learn about how she's balanced her education with her life throughout the years—and how UC Online helped along the way. 

Although Latasha just graduated with her online Bachelor of Health Information Management, her journey with UC began before this. She first became a Bearcat when she enrolled on-campus at UC Clermont. When her husband joined the army, she took some time off from school.

For many students, deciding to return to school would’ve meant starting from square one. It could’ve required relocating to a different city, getting comfortable on a new campus, familiarizing herself with all new faculty and staff. Luckily, that wasn’t the case for Latasha. 

“When I was ready to go back and start taking some classes, I found out that UC was offering the bachelor’s program online, which they previously weren’t,” she said. “The application process was super easy. It was also nice that I was familiar with some of the professors already, but everyone was very communicable with me through email.” 

She received the same support when she transitioned into the master’s program. “I felt like I had someone at all times if I had questions.” 

When she became an online student, Latasha’s biggest fear was fitting her coursework into her schedule. As a mother with a full-time career, she wasn’t sure where she'd find the time to study.

“I would say I had a lot of fears,” she said. “One being that I felt older, and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to juggle everything—working full-time and then doing the family routine and kids.”  

However, once Latasha got started and saw the structure of her online program, she felt reassured that she'd be able to do it. Her classes were tailored with flexibility in mind. “I knew that it was attainable, and you just had to kind of chip away at it bit by bit.”

Latasha felt positively about her path forward, but that still left some questions. For example, what is her day-to-day schedule like as an online student? And how does she prioritize school without letting it take over her life? 

“I think it's important to look at your schedule and then try to stick to little carveouts of time,” she explained, “because it is easy to get carried away with the day-to-day if you don't have a plan.”  

For Latasha, this meant reading for class before getting her kids up in the morning. However, other students might take a completely different approach—studying over a lunch break, on the treadmill, before bed. It’s all about what works best for each individual student. 

Being an online student means making sacrifices from time to time, but for Latasha, it’s been a worthwhile trade. “You give up some weekends, some special occasions,” she said. “You can’t go out all the time or do all the things.” Even so, she firmly believes that it’s possible. “I mean, if it’s important to you, I think you find the time for it.” 

While Latasha never envisioned herself in a patient-facing role, she’s always been drawn to health care. “I still wanted to do something on the back end,” she said. She was searching for a path forward and found that UC offered multiple degrees in health care administration, coding, and billing.  

Most of these individuals don’t interact directly with patients, but they still play a crucial role in providing timely and effective health care. Since Latasha recognized health information management as a good fit early on, she sought an education that would help her reach her goals. 

“If I go to UC, if I take these classes, it’ll help me get into these types of roles,” she recalled. “That's why I chose it.” 

Latasha urges potential students to not be scared of continuing their education online.  

“You will have a blend of students, different ages, different experiences—and so no one is expecting you to know everything or have all the answers,” she said. “You’re there for you and to learn.” 

We’d like to congratulate Latasha on her bachelor’s degree and wish her continued success as she pursues her master’s! If you’d like to hear more, you can watch her full interview below. 

Does Latasha’s story resonate with you? Are you also considering going back to school but are unsure if online is right for you? If so, reach out to us today and let’s talk about it. Your Enrollment Services Advisor is here to help you decide your next step forward.