Army was only a minor interruption in pursuit of UHCL student's major

November 9, 2018 | UHCL Staff

Army was only a minor interruption in pursuit of UHCL student's major

When Nikki Milutin was a junior at University of Houston-Clear Lake back in 2011, she decided to join the U.S. Army. She hoped to put off going on active duty until she completed her senior year, but was offered a job that wouldn’t wait for her. Since then, Milutin, her husband and two older children have moved four times and added two more children to their family. But she never gave up on completing her degree and at long last, she will graduate with a bachelor’s in psychology in December.

“There was a lot going on in between those years,” Milutin said. “I went through basic training and the technical training for my current position as a laboratory technician took over a year.”

She said that she briefly considered changing her major from psychology to clinical lab studies and transferred to another university. “I decided I wanted to work in military psychology,” she said. “Suicide is very prevalent in our military society and I wanted to know how I could help people in that situation. That’s why I decided to go back to psychology rather than continue with the clinical lab degree.”

She transferred back to UH-Clear Lake. “I was married with two kids when I joined the service, and I’m on active duty stationed at a military installation in Texas. I have been doing my degree online.”

Without the support and flexibility of the professors, Milutin said, it would be very difficult to complete a degree as a distance learner. “I feel that I have received everything I need to be prepared, and it’s definitely been worth it,” she said. “The professors have played a key role in my success as a distance learner. When I went into pre-term labor with my fourth child, I had to be in the hospital for six weeks. There were a lot of struggles,” she said. “My professors were very understanding. Even though I wasn’t face-to-face, I felt they were still connected to me.”

Because her mission at each station is different, it was sometimes necessary to take time away from her studies. “The rotating shifts made it difficult to be able to work, be a mom and do school work.” she said. “I wasn’t able to put my full effort in at times because of it.”

After graduating, Milutin said she is scheduled to go to school through the military and receive training for another mission, but her future plans include beginning her master’s degree and applying to become an officer in the Army. “My husband and family have been huge supporters,” she said, “Without them, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

She added, “I would tell people in my position to never give up. It took a long time, but it’s worth it.”

For more information about UHCL’s Psychology program, visit www.uhcl.edu/academics/degrees/psychology-bs.

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