Continuing Education: Senior Airman Moriah White juggles family, work, and education

Photo By Capt. Amber Kelly-Herard | Senior Airman Moriah White, 375th Comptroller Squadron customer service technician, takes a College Level Examination Program test recently. White is working toward her Community College of the Air Force degree.  

IL, UNITED STATES

03.28.2012

Story by Senior Airman Amber Kelly-Herard 

375th Air Mobility Wing

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- As a 375th Comptroller Squadron Finance customer service technician, a wife and a mother of a 9-month-old, with one on the way, Senior Airman Moriah White has quite the busy schedule.

"I've been in the Air Force for almost four years, and I wanted to have my Community College of the Air Force degree in Financial Management prior to making staff sergeant to be able to compete for higher rank," said White.

White's husband, Senior Airman Victor White, 618th Air and Space Operations Center global weather forecaster, is also active duty, so the family had to prioritize.

"My husband is a shift worker so he can get his education completed faster than I can, so he started while I took care of our son," White said. "Now he's working on his bachelor's degree and juggling taking care of the family so I can catch up."

Currently their schedule consists of Victor White working from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., working four days and having three days off. However, his schedule changes every month.

Moriah White sometimes works 12-hour days and also has to care for her son.

Now that it's Moriah White's turn, she faced another obstacle.

"I'm a visual learner and while I know online school is a possibility, I know I wouldn't get as much from it as I could," White said. "I don't have the time to dedicate to school to pull good grades and if I'm not 100 percent dedicated to getting a 3.0 grade point average or higher it doesn't make sense for me to go to school."

Her solution is to earn credits through College Level Examination Program.

"I know my CCAF will help my Air Force career because it will ensure I stay competitive as I progress in rank," she said.

"My motivation is my family and husband. We are also competitive in the spousal arena because we both want to be able to provide for our family whether we are in or out of the military."

Although she does not yet know what she wants to study, White also plans on getting her bachelor's degree.

Editor's note: This article is part of a series on service members who have or are in the process of continuing their education. To recommend someone for this series, please email [e-mail] or call 256-2600.

• Date Taken: 03.28.2012
• Date Posted: 04.02.2012 12:14
• Story ID: 86116
• Location: IL, US