My love story and how it led me to ASU Online

May 23, 2019 · 3 min read · By Cherise Shockley
An ASU Online student describes how she finds love in the army, then grows to find love for education as an online student.
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I was a young woman in the Army Reserves when I met my husband. I did not like him when I first met him, but there was something about him. Scott was the most confident man I had seen in uniform. He wanted to make sure soldiers were being taken care of and the mission was accomplished.

I remember telling my mom about Scott. I would get excited when I saw him and always made sure I was in the same room with him as time or mission would allow. He had no clue that I liked him. I had no clue that he liked me.

Three months after he joined the unit, we went on a quick mission together. We chatted about life and the Army. I had no intention of staying in the Army Reserves. He had come back in on Active duty. After the trip, I introduced him to my mother, brothers, and step-father. Scott fixed the surround sound system for my stepfather, which opened up a lot of doors. Scott had an open invitation to visit my stepfather whenever he wanted to without me.

A week later, I received a call from Scott. He told me he could not live without me. I moved in with him a week later. He told me not to worry because he would take care of me. A week after moving in with him, he bought me a car to get to and from work. Three months later, we were engaged, and a year later we got married. A couple of weeks after we got married, he went to Iraq. He came home. I found out I was pregnant a month later.

Eight months after our daughter was born, he received orders to move to California. We lived there for four years. He did another tour in Iraq. When he came back, we received orders to move to Indiana. When he received orders to move, my daughter and I stayed in Indiana. He would come home on the weekend or when time allowed. We decided to make Noblesville, Indiana our home.

Scott decided he was ready to retire from the Army after serving 24 years. Before he retired, he gave me something that would change my life. He said, “You have stood by me for the past 13 years; you never complained. You watched me follow my dreams and accomplish my goals. Now, it is time for me to do the same for you. I am giving you my Post 9-11 GI Bill®. You can pick any school in the United States. I heard Arizona State University has an online program that’s military-friendly.” I cried. I spent an hour doing my research. I applied to Arizona State University’s communication and media studies program online.

We have made a lot of sacrifices over the past 15 years of our marriage, but through it all we’ve stayed by each other’s side and supported each other along the way. So far, the sacrifices have been worth it. We are looking forward to graduation: May 2019.


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About the author

Cherise is an ASU Online brand ambassador from Noblesville, Indiana. She's pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication and media studies from ASU Online.

We're so excited to share Cherise’s story! Cherise is a part of our #LearnASULive team, an ASU Online brand ambassador program highlighting students who are earning their degrees while living their lives to the fullest. If you enjoyed this, be sure to check back for new articles from Cherise so that you can follow along with her journey. To check out all her posts to date, visit Cherise’s Twitter, Facebook and About Me.

Want to hear from our other ambassadors, too? Use the #LearnASULive hashtag across your favorite social channels to browse through them!

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