When Vivian Littrell is not taking care of her 92-year-old mother, she is usually working on school projects and assignments in the comfort of her home.

Littrell, a mother of two and grandmother of four, is a 70-year-old student pursuing her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice online. She says her family is a great source of inspiration for her.

“I decided that I want to complete my bachelor’s degree before my grandchildren were out of high school,” she says with pride.

When Littrell enrolled at UA Little Rock in 2013, she took classes on the Little Rock campus but eventually opted to go online because it was more convenient for her.

“For the first two years I came to campus, but once I became tech savvy I decided that the online courses were best for me,” she says. “That gave me a little bit more freedom to be at home or to do things that I needed to do,” she adds.

Littrell says she has always been passionate about helping others and used to dream of being an attorney. She hopes to use her degree to help minorities navigate the criminal justice system.

“When I was younger I always had a desire to be an attorney but I never pursued that,” she says. “I read so much about how minorities are misled in so many areas…so I feel like if I can in any way help a person in terms of education, that would be the best thing for me,” she adds with a smile.

Advice for Students

“I have established a rapport with my instructors, and if there’s something that’s not clear to me, something that I don’t understand, then I will not hesitate to send an email to get clarity on that. For me that’s they key.”