Small steps shape the path for adult learners

For Ashley Parker, education is not just about earning a degree. It is about reshaping what comes next.

With 20 years in emergency services, Parker has built a career defined by urgency. As a 911 dispatcher, she supports others in moments of crisis. Now she is charting a new path rooted in seasons, soil and steady growth through the University of Delaware’s sustainable food systems program.

While the shift from emergency services to agriculture may seem abrupt, Parker sees it as a natural extension of who she is and a goal she is willing to spend time working toward.

“I just keep plugging forward, and I get there when I get there,” she said.

Progress looks different for adult learners

Parker takes a few classes each year while working full time, moving forward at a pace shaped by real-life responsibilities.

“Because I’m a UD employee, I only get to take six classes per year,” she said. “It’s a slower process.”

For adult learners, a gradual pace is often necessary. Balancing work, education and personal commitments means progress may be gradual, but it is intentional.

For Parker, the timeline matters less than the outcome. Education is a bridge between the work she has done and the work she hopes to do next.

“I love gardening, being outdoors,” she said. “My personal diet is whole-food, plant-based.”

She hopes to use her degree to support vulnerable communities through food access and nutrition education in schools, correctional facilities and nonprofit settings. Where she once helped people through immediate crises, she now wants to contribute to long-term health.

“It’s just a different kind of service,” she said.

Rather than leaving her past behind, Parker is building on it. Her sense of service remains central, even as her path evolves.

The right guidance makes it manageable

Returning to school after years away brought uncertainty.

“It’s nerve-wracking to be like, ‘I don’t know if can I handle this,’” she said.

Support from the university’s ACCESS Center helped her move forward. With guidance from her advisor, Barbara Lewis-Kuszyk, she found a manageable starting point.

“Our relationship and Barbara’s knowledge helped me navigate where to start and what steps to take next,” Parker said.

That advice began simply.

“Why don’t we start with one class?” she recalled being told. “It totally hooked me.”

The power of starting small

Taking that first class helped Parker adjust to both the coursework and unfamiliar technology.

“Learning new platforms and software that aren’t part of my everyday life,” she said. “That took some effort.”

With time and support, those challenges became manageable. Confidence grew with each step forward.

Her experience reflects how education can be revisited and reshaped over time.

For Parker, her studies connect directly to her goals. They are practical, personal and purposeful.

“I just tend to not look at where I’m at in the process,” she said. “And just keep going forward.”

Her progress may be slower, but it is steady and deliberate. Success is not defined by speed. It is measured through growth, purpose and persistence.

Through education, Parker is building a future that connects who she has been with who she wants to become.