Aleasha Phillips had spent nearly two decades of caring for 3- and 4-year-olds at daycare when she considered Virginia Western to pursue an education degree, On a campus visit, she noticed a flyer about getting credit for knowledge gained from work and life experience.

Phillips contacted Cathy Ferguson, Virginia Western’s Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Program Specialist, who worked closely with her to create portfolios that would showcase how the knowledge and skills that she had gained from her work experience were equivalent to college-level learning. Her work experience has provided her enough credit for 12 credit hours, or four classes. “It’s helped me get through classes a lot quicker, and I know I couldn’t have done it so fast while working full time,” Phillips said.

Read more about her journey and Credit for Prior Learning in this story from Impact magazine:

Experience can translate into college credit  – News from Virginia Western