Kristi Barger’s Second Chance: A Journey from Prison to Academic Success

Once Incarcerated, Now Thriving with the Help of Gardner-Webb Online

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—The faculty and staff who work in Gardner-Webb University’s Online degree completion program are committed to helping students achieve their goals. Kristi Barger, of Hickory, N.C., a student working toward bachelor’s and master’s degrees, ultimately chose to attend GWU because of the responsive and compassionate online admission team.

After spending years in a cycle of substance abuse that included periods of sobriety followed by relapses and short stays in prison, Barger was sentenced to six years in the Western (Swannanoa) Correctional Center for Women in Black Mountain, N.C. She decided to view this incarceration as an opportunity. While some might respond with bitterness, anger and despair, Barger told her sons, “I am going to get something out of it this time.”

Before she could make good on her promise, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the prison’s educational programs. After waiting over four years, the correctional center announced it would offer a human services Associate in Applied Sciences degree from A-B Tech Community College in Asheville, N.C. The program was part of the U.S. Department of Education’s Second Chance Pell Experimental Sites Initiative.

There were eight women in the prison who participated in the program. They weren’t allowed to use computers to search the internet, so their instructors brought them books and other resources. As their graduation and release dates neared, one of the teachers started looking for a college that accepted paper applications. She checked Gardner-Webb, because of its agreement to accept credits from A-B Tech. “The staff at Gardner-Webb said, ‘We want all of your ladies to come here,’” Barger recalled. “Gardner-Webb was so supportive with anything I needed, and that’s why I chose to go.”

She enrolled in Gardner-Webb’s online bachelor’s program in human services, which is offered in eight-week terms. During the first term, Barger immediately used what she learned in class to write a resume and cover letter. She also completed a certificate to become a peer support specialist and was hired.

Dr. Erin Cook, Gardner-Webb assistant professor and program coordinator for human services said Barger is “thriving in our bachelor’s program, and we’ve talked through ways in which she can use her past experiences to be a more compassionate and empathic helping professional.”

Barger acknowledged, “Whenever I did my peer support training, everything we talked about I had already learned at Gardner-Webb. If I would have gone into the peer support without going to school, I would not have known what they were talking about.”

Her first class at Gardner-Webb was human services with Cook. “If I would not have had that, I guarantee you I would not have gotten my job,” Barger asserted. “My application was great, my cover letter was wonderful, and (Cook) taught us what to expect in an interview and how to sell ourselves.”

Barger is the mother of three sons. Her oldest son, and the father of her grandson, died while she was in prison. She said working on her college degree helped her through that difficult time. Her two younger sons are college graduates. She’s grateful to her parents for taking care of her children while she was in prison. Barger is proud of their accomplishments and earning her own degree gives her something more in common with them, but she’s decided to go further. “I’m going to get my Master’s in Public Administration,” she stated. Barger has been accepted into the Accelerated Master’s Program and begins taking classes toward her graduate degree in January 2025.

Barger likes the convenience of online classes and the accessibility of her professors. “All of my teachers have been so great, and they don’t have any problem offering their time,” she affirmed. “When I contact them if I have a question, it’s never very long before they get back to you. A lot of them will get back to you after hours. They are wonderful.”

The next start date for the online human services program is Oct. 18. To apply or receive more information, contact [email protected].

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Ignite your future at Gardner-Webb.edu.