A class of her own — Brie Wray prepares for a career with support from a new scholarship for adult learners

Janet Daniel and Brie Wray
Wednesday, November 3, 2021

This time next year, Brie Wray expects to be in charge of her own classroom, creating a welcoming place for elementary students.

“I love children, and I look forward to becoming an elementary school teacher. My goal is to form meaningful connections with students that will have positive effects on their lives,” said Wray, a nontraditional student who is a senior elementary education major.

A survivor of childhood trauma, Wray, her mother and two brothers spent her formative years on the move in search of refuge.

“We lived in seven states before I finished elementary school,” noted Wray. After a brief stint living with her grandparents in South Carolina, she rejoined her mother and brothers in Gaston County, where she graduated from North Gaston High School in 2014.

Adult learners, like Wray, often balance competing priorities in pursuit of their college degrees. For Wray, who earned an associate degree from Gaston College in May 2020, full-time employment, marriage and purchasing a home added stress to her collegiate journey.

Having been in the workforce, Wray brings a different perspective to her studies.

“As an apartment leasing agent, I work with people on a daily basis, which has helped me strengthen my communication and interpersonal skills. Additionally, I have encountered a number of situations where I exercised my problem solving and critical thinking skills to achieve a successful resolution while maintaining a positive attitude and friendly manner,” Wray stated.

Deciding to earn a bachelor’s degree several years later than traditional high school graduates may seem daunting, but Wray said virtual classes at Gaston College and UNC Charlotte provide the necessary flexibility to accommodate adult learners like her. Between Nov. 8-12, UNC Charlotte is celebrating Adult Student Week; view the lineup of events.

“All my professors have been very supportive and are available for assistance. The Cato College of Education is providing the tools and knowledge for me to succeed, and my faculty members have offered to be a resource for me after graduation. I believe they sincerely want us to be successful,” Wray said.

Another motivating factor is being the inaugural recipient of the Janet Deal Daniel Scholarship, which honors its namesake, the founding director of the University’s Office of Adult Students and Evening Services (OASES).

“This scholarship really means a lot because my decision to pursue my dream of teaching elementary school set my husband and me back financially, as I quit my job to focus on college,” said Wray. “Not only is the scholarship beneficial monetarily, but it is a confidence builder. It makes me feel all my hard work is being noticed and validated.”

As she looks to the future, Wray is focused on the ultimate reward — teaching. “I’ll be able to begin my career for which I have worked so hard to achieve, and I’ll be able to implement my ideas and philosophies in my classroom.”

Established in 1995, OASES is a unit in the Office of Academic Affairs; its charge is to provide dedicated support services to adult learners. The office has implemented several new initiatives for adult learners, including a successful mentoring program, and OASES personnel work with two national honor societies exclusively for adult students, Pinnacle and Alpha Sigma Lambda, to garner recognition for nontraditional students’ academic scholarship and commitment to community service.

In 2005, OASES began planning the 49er Finish Program. Its goal is to increase retention and graduation rates of returning adult students. Since its inception, more than 1,000 seniors who left the University have re-enrolled to complete their degrees.

Currently, OASES administers 21 endowed scholarships. In addition to the inaugural Daniel Scholarship, the office awarded the first Donna B. Malmgren Memorial Scholarship to Allison Barlow. The Malmgren Scholarship is possible through a gift from retired Belk College of Business faculty member Ed Malmgren. It honors his late wife, Donna, a 1984 nursing alumna who was an adult learner. Donna Malmgren also completed a master’s degree in 1996.

For the 2021-22 academic year, 79 undergraduate students have received OASES scholarships totaling more than $127,000; during its first year of operation, OASES awarded $4,800 in financial assistance.

Photo: Janet Daniel and Brie Wray