Sometimes life deals out cards that make finishing your education difficult. Ryan Spillman, from Lockhart Texas, found himself with multiple circumstances in 2019 that made it impossible for him to continue his studies at the Mays School of Business at Texas A&M. At that point, “College did not seem like an option for me,” he said.
He knew he would have to find a very flexible online program and have financial security to ever finish his degree. A few years later, though, he started looking at Texas A&M University System schools, and found WT. he was blown away with the depth and breadth of our online offerings. Then a new job presented itself, and the timing was right, providing the necessary finances to pay for his education.
Spillman, who is 25, applied to the Engler COB, was accepted along with more than 50 transfer credits, and started his education with us last fall. He is finishing his second long semester with us, and also completed a Winter Intersession course. Ambition is his middle name, as this finds him with a double major in Finance as well as Economics with a Law specialization. Oh, and if that weren’t enough, he is working toward a minor in Mathematics, a field he admits was never his strong suit. “As you get older you learn the wisdom of tackling the things you don’t want to do, and gaining a mastery of them,” he said.
Spillman also likes to get to know his professors. “I try to reach out to my professors at the beginning of the semester,” he added, “in spite of being completely online.” he is also embracing all of his courses, but has a few favorites. “I enjoyed Principles of Finance, and I am enjoying Investment,” he reported, but he has also enjoyed his Accounting class. “It’s great to be in an opportunity where I can learn again. I don’t think there is such a thing as a bad class.”
Working a challenging job is one thing, with Spillman flying out every week somewhere else across the US, and returning on Fridays, but he is also currently taking 15 hours. It is a juggling act that requires commitment and maturity, two things he has down in spades.
“It’s incredible to see the diversity of perspective, education, location, and background. It is a very full and colorful spectrum that West Texas has. I think that WT has an advantage because of the number of courses available online.”
The junior plans to graduate in Spring 2027, and is already thinking about grad school in Quantitative Finance at Texas A&M. For now, though, his focus–and his love–are all about WT. “What I like about about WT is the curriculum offered. They have such a practical, plausible course catalog. Everything has a very unique purpose. You’re never digging into theory that will never be applied.” That’s high praise.
He unabashedly says, “It has been a blessing to come back to this at a later age. And he is effusive in his praise. “The faculty, they’re all great. I haven’t had a bad experience with anyone. It has this collective feel where everybody is part of it. Maybe ‘Neighborly’ is a good word’.”
Sounds like an insurance company advertising slogan, a word that perhaps we should find a way to incorporate into our own marketing.