Key Takeaways
- 好色先生TV视频 (UAGC) student Erin Vargas has dedicated her life to service. Whether through her 23-year career in the military or her volunteer work, she is committed to helping others.
- Erin鈥檚 journey is proof that while stability isn鈥檛 guaranteed in your career, adaptability can be your advantage.
- Pursuing her degree at 68 shows it鈥檚 possible to earn a college degree at any age.
- Erin says school isn鈥檛 about starting over, it鈥檚 about staying prepared and in control of your future.
- The liberal arts student believes the right education expands how you think, and her degree program has given her a new framework for problem-solving that she applies to all aspects of life.
- Erin believes service is a mindset you can apply to everything in life, whether you are in uniform, at work, or volunteering in your community.
- For Erin, earning her degree isn鈥檛 about starting over. It鈥檚 about moving forward with a greater understanding of the world around her and expanding her perspective so she can solve problems more efficiently.
- Here she shares a three-step framework that she says gives anyone using it a deeper understanding of a problem and its solution.
UAGC Student Erin Vargas is Expanding Her World Through Service and Education
On any given day, a mobile ultrasound clinic can be found parked in different corners of Montgomery, Ala., meeting women where they are, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Often, Erin Vargas will be inside sitting next to expectant mothers as a client advocate, helping guide conversations that are often filled with uncertainty.
鈥淪ometimes it鈥檚 women who are single mothers, and they don鈥檛 know what they鈥檙e going to do,鈥 explains Erin, who is pursuing her liberal arts degree at UAGC.
For Erin, the role is about far more than ultrasounds and exams. It鈥檚 about making sure every woman who walks through the clinic doors understands the support systems available to her, from parenting resources and community programs to spiritual guidance.
Since 2022, she has dedicated herself to helping women feel informed, supported, and cared for during some of their most vulnerable moments.
鈥淲e want to educate them about their options,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e want to make sure that they鈥檙e spiritually okay, too. If they鈥檇 like us to help them find a church, we have that service available. It鈥檚 just a way to make them feel loved and appreciated.鈥
This is but one part of a life built around service. In addition to volunteering with the mobile clinic, Erin also ministers at a local prison through a program called Celebrate Recovery, where they walk inmates through recovery programs focused on reflection, accountability, and healing.
She also served for 23 years in the U.S Air Force before retiring from the military. Even now, she continues to give back as a civilian through her role as a civil engineer contractor who works for the same military branch she once served in uniform.
鈥淚 just came home one day and took off my uniform, and the next day I went back in to work,鈥 she explains. 鈥淪ame job, just different clothes.鈥
During life鈥檚 busiest seasons, she remains grounded by her faith and a belief that every challenge is temporary. And, at 68 years old, she鈥檚 not slowing down.
鈥淲hat keeps me going is the fact that I know it鈥檚 not going to be like this forever,鈥 she says. 鈥淎nd I have God on my side.鈥
A Career in Focus
Throughout her career in the Air Force, Erin developed a unique and coveted skillset in supply and logistics 鈥 one that made the transition to civilian life much easier as she went into contract work. Moving from one sector to another means a change in job title, but never a change in purpose. Erin鈥檚 life has been rooted in service for more than 40 years, with her next chapter currently in progress.
Erin鈥檚 pursuit of a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from the College of Integrative Learning is more than a career-focused pivot. It鈥檚 part of a goal she set for herself years back to become a college graduate.
The decision to earn a college degree is something that has always been on her mind, even if it was in the background for many years.
鈥淏etween my career and my family life, I just really didn鈥檛 feel like I had time for school,鈥 she says. 鈥淲e traveled a lot when I was in the military. My first base was South Dakota, I was at Ellsworth, then the UK, I met my husband, got married, started raising kids.鈥
With a husband, two boys 鈥 they鈥檙e now 38 and 40 years old 鈥 and an evolving career, Erin says she didn鈥檛 want to 鈥渟hortchange鈥 her education.
However, when Erin learned her company Din茅 Development Corporation (DDC) emphasizes the importance of education for its employees and has a partnership with UAGC that allows them to pursue their degrees at a lower cost, everything changed.
She recalls telling herself, 鈥淥kay, I haven鈥檛 got an excuse now, do I?鈥
A Framework for Problem-Solving
For many students, a college degree is a way to narrow their focus on a particular area of study or industry. For Erin, a liberal arts degree is about expanding her world.
鈥淚 realized that liberal arts is a very good degree because it鈥檚 versatile. It doesn鈥檛 pigeonhole you and get you stuck in one place,鈥 she explains.
DDC is a Navajo Nation鈥搊wned company that delivers IT, professional, and research and development services to government and commercial clients. Currently, Erin is testing civil engineering software that will be used on Air Force bases.
Problem-solving is part of the job, but her classes have taught her new ways to approach those problems. Instead of looking for a single, direct solution, she鈥檚 asking more questions.
One of Erin鈥檚 liberal arts seminars helped reshape her approach to problem-solving. She has even developed a three-step framework that will give anyone using it a deeper understanding of both the problem and the solution.
First, she says to widen the frame. Erin believes some problems can鈥檛 be solved from just one angle or one area of expertise. There may be an obvious issue right in front of you, but the overall problem might be shaped by multiple forces. So, you need to look outward before narrowing in.
Second, she says you must determine what鈥檚 influencing the problem. Erin鈥檚 class helped her see that understanding what impacts a problem 鈥 systems, people, culture, values, social background, among other factors 鈥 is just as important as trying to solve the problem.
Lastly, she suggests to avoid forcing an answer. Not every problem has one immediate solution, Erin says. Sometimes the best thing to do is recognize that more information or research is needed before deciding what to do.
鈥淚 just never even thought about that before,鈥 Erin explains. 鈥淎t the end of class, when we learned how to do it, I thought, 鈥楬ow did I ever do anything before this? Because it is essential to know this.鈥欌
In a way, that lesson is a metaphor for college itself. For Erin, earning her degree isn鈥檛 about starting over. It鈥檚 about moving forward with a greater understanding of the world around her and expanding her perspective so she can solve problems more efficiently.
Always Adapting to What Comes Next
For most of her civilian career, Erin has been adapting. Contracts end. Companies lose bids. Teams change overnight. It鈥檚 a reality she鈥檚 had to live through firsthand.
鈥淚 worked for one company for 14 years,鈥 Erin recalls. 鈥淭hen when I lost that contract, we went through three companies in four years.鈥
Instability reshapes your mindset, as anyone who has had to change jobs can attest. Not only would Erin have the pressure of performing at a high level, but she was always feeling the need to prepare for what could happen next.
But college has changed her thinking.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been life-changing,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 opened up a whole new world to me.鈥
There鈥檚 a confidence that comes with learning new skills, and for a service-minded person like Erin, that鈥檚 incentivized her to share her knowledge and perspective with others.
Her classwork has helped her realize that every situation has layers and problems aren鈥檛 one-dimensional. Now she鈥檚 making it her mission to share her problem-solving process with others.
鈥淭o me, I can鈥檛 just sit back and say, 鈥榃ell, somebody else can do that,鈥 鈥渟he says. 鈥淚 feel like, if I can help someone, I should.鈥
