A free online leadership course offered by Troy University in 2020 planted a seed for Baytown, Texas resident Justin Ross Glover, and on July 24, that seed bloomed into a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies.

Glover was among the more than 300 Troy University graduates to receive their diplomas during the summer commencement ceremony inside Trojan Arena on the Troy Campus. For Glover, Friday’s walk across the graduation stage represented the culmination of a journey that began 27 years ago.

Glover lived in southern Alabama from ages 5 to 8, but then his family bounced around the south, before landing in Texas, where he finished high school. He started college in 1999.

“It was hit or miss – a lot of fun and taking semesters off to work,” he admitted. “I finished my associate’s degree in 2010.”

Glover had occasional thoughts of continuing his education, but it was the notice about a free leadership class that appeared on Linked In in 2020 that caught his attention.

“In 2020, I saw on Linked In an announcement about Dr. Hawkins’ free online course, Leadership 101, and I decided to take it,” he said. “It planted a seed. I looked further into TROY, and in 2021/2022, I registered to take classes through TROY Online. It was rather economical. It was at my own pace, and the 9-week term versus the 16-week semesters was convenient with my schedule.”

Balancing coursework with a career in the oil and gas industry proved a bit challenging.

“I started taking classes and then life and career got in the way again,” he said.

Last year’s trip with his wife, Shayla, first to Nashville and then to visit family in Clayhatchee, Alabama, provided the spark he needed to get started on his education again.

“I told my wife I was going to ping my advisor and try to meet up with her on campus,” he said. “She met with us, and she was so amazing. She said, ‘Justin, I looked at all of your courses, and you need 10 classes to be done with the bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies. For me, it was about putting to bed something I had started 27 years ago. I hunkered down and took the classes in the last four terms and got it done.”

Along the way, Glover has dealt with some skepticism from others about his need for a degree. 

“I’m a material manager for an engineering procurement construction company. I don’t need a degree for what I do,” he said. “I’ve learned over the many years in the workforce the necessary skills, but now my degree is done. I’ve had family members, colleagues and friends who have asked me what I need a degree for. Justin needs a degree for Justin. It is my signpost until the next thing.”

Glover is well pleased with his TROY experience, so much so that he hasn’t ruled out pursuing a higher degree at some point in the future.

“The soft skill grooming that I’ve learned in the courses, the coursework has just honed me,” he said. “My professors were most excellent. They are invested in their students online. Some of them were sterner with their expectations which was wonderful. Everyone was so supportive and so accommodating. I have spoken with Dr. Ali (Ali-Reza Rajabzadeh) at TROY’s San Antonio location about the Doctorate in Global Leadership. I believe that is in the future, but that is going to be a while. My wife is going to complete her CPA license. She gets to go to school now that I’m done.”

For those who are seeking to finish or continue their education, Glover offered a bit of advice based on his own experiences.

“Remain persistent and finish strong,” he said. “Don’t be ok with good enough; go for abundance. Be the most excellent mom, dad, brother, sister, student or employee you can be.”