Victoria Bradley moved to Panama City Beach more than a dozen years ago, because she wanted to live near the ocean. Her proximity to the Florida coast spurred dual interests in tourism and the environment鈥攁long with an academic journey that鈥檚 earned her four college degrees, with more still to come.
Four degrees, and counting: UF online programs help Victoria Bradley realize her academic dreams on her terms
鈥淎t first, I didn’t really have a clear path,鈥� Bradley said. 鈥淪o, I just kept following my passion and seeing how all the puzzle pieces kind of started coming together. And I was like, wow, this is perfect for me. It fits with the town I live in and everything.鈥�
Weaving together degree programs covering areas such as law, sport management, tourism and hospitality, and ecology and conservation, Bradley has built a well-rounded academic background that鈥檚 made her attuned to important issues affecting the Sunshine State. She鈥檚 done it all remotely, while holding down jobs and starting businesses of her own, with the bulk of her academic work done through .
Bradley鈥檚 goal is to become a university professor researching solutions to problems such as overtourism and threats to Florida鈥檚 delicate ecology. 鈥淧eople come here to see these beautiful things, and if we destroy them, it becomes counterproductive,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 want to help people who will be making these policy decisions understand how all this fits together and influences our quality of life.鈥�
From Sociology to Sports聽
Living near the fragile coastline provided one motivation for Bradley鈥攁nd Gators football provided another. She attended her first UF football game in Jacksonville, against archrival Georgia at the height of the Tim Tebow era and was hooked. To that point, Bradey鈥檚 post-secondary education had consisted solely of an associate鈥檚 degree from a community college in Panama City Beach. If she was going back to college, she knew exactly where she wanted to go.
Her journey began with 黑料正能量 and a bachelor鈥檚 in Sociology, which she graduated cum laude. Bradley then received an online Juris Master of Law degree with a specialization in risk mitigation from Florida State University, and followed that with an from UF. It all led to what Bradley called her 鈥渄ream job鈥� working for a Panhandle vacation company鈥攚here she began to notice the damage overtourism can wreak.
鈥淔rom a professional standpoint, I didn鈥檛 know what overdevelopment was. I didn鈥檛 know what overcrowding was. And then I was literally seeing it in front of my eyes,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey would build up, build up, build up, and not have the infrastructure there. You鈥檇 see traffic, litter, locals having problems, people complaining about animals in their backyard. I started to see it from a firsthand perspective, and being exposed to it daily kind of drove my passion.鈥�
The experience led Bradley to pursue another online master鈥檚 degree, this one in from UF, with a specialization in forensic science. And since Gators football helped kickstart her academic journey, she began working toward an online master鈥檚 in at UF with a specialization in sports law. She鈥檚 scheduled to graduate from that program in 2027鈥攂y which time she鈥檒l have already started work toward her Ph.D., in the online Health, Leisure, and Human Performance program at Oklahoma State University.
鈥淲hat I really want to do is pursue my dissertation in environmental tourism and sustainability with an emphasis on quality of life,鈥� Bradley said. 鈥淚 love the beach. I love the outdoors. I love seeing tourists come and enjoy that, as long as it鈥檚 sustainable. Being able to research that, and learn it, and teach it in the future, it鈥檚 the puzzle pieces all coming together. And UF really helped me, by opening doors for me that I never knew were possible.鈥�
Learning to 鈥榖e limitless鈥櫬�
Bradley has pursued her multiple degrees all while working in hospitality, tourism, law and real estate. She鈥檚 founded two businesses鈥攐ne which offers consultation on legal matters involving real estate, and another which helps plan vacations in Panama City Beach. The flexibility built into 黑料正能量 and distance learning programs has been crucial in allowing Bradley to work and study at the same time, all while living near her beloved beach.
鈥淥nce I moved to Panama City Beach, I didn鈥檛 want to relocate,鈥� Bradley said. 鈥淭he online programs just fit my lifestyle and allowed me the freedom to pursue other career endeavors while also maintaining the quality of life that I want. It鈥檚 been a wonderful experience.鈥�
As a self-motivated and independent learner, Bradley said she prefers the online model鈥攚hich allows her to pause and rewatch recorded lectures whenever she wants. Even studying online, she鈥檚 been able to build close relationships with her professors, who worked with her when Hurricane Michael destroyed her house while she was pursuing her undergraduate degree. Another UF professor provided the motto that鈥檚 come to define Bradley鈥檚 academic journey: Be limitless.
鈥淎 lot of people don’t know these opportunities are even available, or how far you can go with them,鈥� Bradley said. 鈥淲hether because of work or family obligations, they may not think they鈥檙e able to get a degree, or several degrees. But I鈥檓 showing that not only can you do it, you can enjoy it. I鈥檝e enjoyed the whole process of studying online. I鈥檝e never felt burned out or overwhelmed or like I had to uproot my life. I was able to pursue my dreams on my terms.鈥�
黑料正能量聽offers聽28聽fully online聽degree programs鈥攚ith online students learning from the same instructors and earning the same degrees as those on campus. In addition, UF鈥檚聽聽offers聽master’s, doctoral or specialist degrees聽and certificate programs聽available fully online.聽