Andrea Archer | University of West Florida

I could have let being a mother of four young children be an excuse, but my children became my reason to finish my degrees. Nothing was going to stop me.

Can you tell us about your job?

I’m a financial manager working in acquisition at Eglin Air Force Base. We develop, test and acquire weapon systems. I completed my master’s degree in administration online while working full time, and the curriculum for my specialization in acquisition and contract administration was geared toward government agencies. It was really beneficial and correlated with Department of Defense training.

How did you balance your work, school and family?

I have four children, and had one of them during the spring semester of 2009. There were a lot of late nights at the computer with a baby sleeping on my chest!

Do you have a favorite UWF memory?

I was an SGA senator for the Emerald Coast location, and I enjoyed taking my family to different SGA events. I loved the lectures. I learned so much about what was going on in society as a whole, especially connections between business and politics. My marketing classes also provided valuable insights. I loved school.