“I didn’t really have a career path at the time, so it didn’t make sense for me to continue paying such a large amount of money for school,” Alexie said.
Instead, Alexie joined the workforce and started at Rubberlite in Huntington, a flexible material supplier a few blocks from campus. She started working in the production side of the company and transitioned into the office side.
Alexie has worked several roles within the company and has worked her way up to her current role—customer service manager. She currently has eight employees who directly report to her, and recently returned to Marshall to finish her undergraduate degree.
Alexie’s inspiration to return to finish her degree came from encouragement by her wife, Hilary, who is a high school counselor.
“Having a management position keeps you busy,” Alexie said. “Having the flexibility with online classes though, has allowed me to keep my job and be able to travel for work.”
And Alexie’s putting in the work in her classes. On a typical weekday, she spends about an hour doing classwork before her workday begins. After dinner, she is back studying and completing her assignments.
The hard work is paying off. Last semester, Alexie made the university’s President’s List, earning a 4.0 semester GPA.
“The balance is there, but you certainly have to work at it, that’s for sure,” Alexie said. “I think things are turning around and certainly feel better. I’ve been really well supported at Marshall.”
Alexie is majoring in business management, learning strategies and getting to apply them the same day at work, like executive-level planning concepts from her capstone course.
Since the second grade, Alexie grew up right across the river from Marshall in South Point, Ohio, where she resides to this day. In her limited spare time, Alexie coaches her nephew’s T-ball team, which is much different than her normal work managing employees.
“There are no systems in place for T-ball, like in business, it’s like herding cats. It’s so fun to watch,” Alexie said.
The chaos of the T-ball field also reinforced a lesson she learned in going back to school.
“One thing I have learned is having an awareness that just because you set out to do something in a certain way, doesn’t mean that’s how it’s going to happen,” Alexie said. “The finish line is still there—it’s just maybe a little bit further down the road than what you anticipated.”
And on Saturday, May 9, Alexie will walk the stage at commencement, a moment 19 years in the making.
“I’m the most thankful for the continuity the online platform has allowed me to have in my life,” she said.
For more information on completing your degree at Marshall University, visit www.marshall.edu/online/back-to-marshall.
