Made to go the distance: Amanda Resendiz’s journey from job loss to earning a flexible, online bachelors degree

Amanda is on her way to earning a fully online bachelor’s degree with Northwest Vista College.

When the pandemic caused Amanda to lose her job as a bartender, she didn’t just find another job — she went above and beyond to reshape her future.

For 10 years, Amanda worked as a bartender, working late nights and long hours. But when the pandemic shutdown led to widespread job losses, her career came to a halt.

Rather than seeing this as a setback, Amanda said it was a much-needed push to finally go back to school and earn her degree.

“It was definitely the kick in the back,” Amanda said. “I had been saying it for years and I was done giving myself excuses. I needed to earn a degree, and there was no better time than that moment.”

"I was done giving myself excuses. I needed to earn a degree, and there was no better time than that moment.”

When it came to searching for degree programs, Amanda wanted a flexible learning option that was convenient for her family and schedule. She came across Northwest Vista College’s (NVC) online offerings and decided to pursue an associate degree in Applied Science and Cyber Security, fully online.

While studying online, Amanda also took advantage of opportunities to connect with the NVC community. She was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society, hosted leadership conferences, gained valuable experience through NASA programs, and even traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate with the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities.

“When I first started my schooling, I wanted to be more involved,” Amanda said. “One of my professors reached out to me and asked if I wanted to host an upcoming leadership conference. Because she reached out, that opened doors for other opportunities. I was accepted to be a project manager for two programs at NASA and got invited to Washington, DC. All thanks to NVC.”

In May 2023, Amanda graduated with her associate degree and a 3.9 GPA. Shortly after, she landed an internship as a System Support Specialist at a local financial firm. Her performance impressed her employer so much that they offered her a full-time position.

With an associate degree and a promising career ahead, Amanda decided to go the distance.

She enrolled in NVC’s newest Bachelor of Applied Technology (BAT) degree in Cloud Computing, offered with AlamoU.

“I knew that pursuing a bachelor's degree would help me break that ‘glass ceiling,’” said Amanda. “Latinos only make up 8% of all STEM careers in the U.S., and being a Latina woman in this field, it's even smaller. I don't want to be one of the few, I want to be one of the first. Plus, it’s only two more years!”

Reflecting on her journey, Amanda gets emotional when looking back from where she began — from her bartending days to now, earning her bachelor’s degree. She feels a lot of pride.

“It’s overwhelming sometimes because I think about how far I've come,” said Amanda. “I’ve done a lot and my kids are witnessing all of that. My husband says all the time - ‘Our kids are going to think that this is what moms do. They go to Washington. D.C., they work with NASA and they get their bachelor's degrees.’ It's pretty amazing.”

You can go the distance like Amanda and earn your degree fully online. Fill out the form below to contact an enrollment coach today!