Barbie Shrewsbury ’26 is 55 years old and has been a Chick-fil-A employee for 18 years. After having children, she put her degree on hold to raise them, and she assumed she would never return to finish that degree. Seven years ago, she began working for Operator and Point trustee, Lauren McGuire, who became an Elevate partner shortly after the program’s launch.
McGuire and Shrewsbury’s colleagues encouraged her to participate in the Elevate program to finish her degree. “All the other kids were saying, ‘Oh, you can do it, you can do it,’ even at my age,” she said. “So I went ahead and tried it, and I’m so glad I did.”
The Elevate program is a subscription-model program that allows employers to offer their employees a debt-free degree while working full time. Employers pay an annual fee, and employees can earn their degree completely online without student debt.
Initially, Shrewsbury faced difficulties adapting to the fully online format of the program, but having engaging professors helped her to enjoy the learning process, especially in her Bible courses. “I had professors who really engaged in the classes and the discussions, and I’ve really enjoyed the Bible classes,” she said.
For Shrewsbury, completing her degree is a testament to her philosophy of being a lifelong learner. “I’ve always wanted to learn,” she said. “You can’t stop learning, so that was my other thing; I thought, ‘Oh, I can learn something.’ I didn’t really need the degree, but I wanted to be busy learning something because you can’t stop your mind from learning.”
Earning a degree while working full time does not come without its challenges, but having a support system makes it possible. “I have a supporting husband,” Shrewsbury said. “He said, ‘Yeah, go ahead and do it; we’ll work it out.’ I didn’t have kids at home, so I really had no excuse, other than I’m working the same amount of hours.”
In May, Shrewsbury graduated with her bachelor’s degree, and she plans to stay on at Chick-fil-A, using her new knowledge to improve her leadership skills at her store. “I’ve been a leader for the whole time I’ve been with Chick-fil-A,” she said. “But since I’ve taken these classes, I’ll go, ‘Oh, that’s what we’re doing,’ and things open up. It all makes more sense now.”
Through the Elevate program, Shrewsbury has proved that earning a college degree is about more than climbing a corporate ladder or earning more. It’s about finishing a goal. “I guess I just wanted to say I did it, and show my kids that at my age, I can still do it,” she said. “I think everybody should have that chance to go. Apply. I think it’s a wonderful program.”
