A Full-Circle Journey: ODU Graduate Following Childhood Passion of Books

Sally Meredith’s first job sparked a quest for knowledge.

Meredith, then a teenager, shelved books at her local library just outside the gates of Shenandoah National Park in Front Royal. Even before the position, she remembered collecting as many books as she could hold to take home from library trips.

Now, decades later and with one degree in hand and another on the way from Old Dominion University, she has rekindled that spark as a librarian at Skyline Middle School in that same hometown.

“It really feels like I’ve come full circle,” said Meredith, who will receive her master’s in library and information studies in the spring of 2024 after receiving her bachelor’s of science in interdisciplinary studies in December 2014.

“I think about making like $3 an hour back then, and I’m so proud of the work and dedication that brings me back to doing something I just love. I look forward to sharing my love of reading and books with so many others.”

Meredith’s commitment to lifelong learning has created a path through ODU to a new career this August after nearly a decade as a special education teacher in Front Royal. Her journey to public education began as an undergraduate at the University and became possible through the flexibility of online learning.

After believing college was not for her after high school, Meredith married and started a family before realizing she wanted to pursue higher education. She discovered a partnership between ODU and nearby Laurel Ridge Community College in Middletown and worked with Old Dominion’s distance learning division to find the right fit.

“I needed flexibility,” Meredith said. “I needed to schedule school around my schedule. And the system at ODU worked well for me. The professors were amazing, and so were the staff members. The process really helped me with building relationships, and I directly used those strategies in my job. It was the best decision.”

While seeking her bachelor’s degree, Meredith could pursue much of her degree on her own time. Still, she would occasionally sit in a classroom at the community college, sometimes by herself, and watch streaming lectures. While physically lonely, Meredith said ODU’s distance learning support system made her feel like a valued university community member.

In December 2014, Meredith moved quickly through the end of her undergraduate studies, completing her student teaching, commencement, and a start as a long-term substitute in special education teaching at Skyline High School in four days.

“I had a lot of communication with ODUGlobal and with the professors,” Meredith said. “I was really made to feel welcome.”

When Meredith finished her first degree in 2014, she went directly into teaching at Skyline High School in Front Royal. She’d found inspiration for helping others growing up closely with a cousin with physical and intellectual disabilities. They were like sisters—they are only two months apart in age—and seeing how her aunt and grandmother cared for her cousin inspired Meredith.

“I never saw her any differently, but you see how others treat people with disabilities,” Meredith said. “So I wanted to help.”

Meredith became the legal guardian of her cousin in 2020. Becoming a full-time caretaker and then teaching special education students in her day job meant Meredith’s work and life started to blend, and she wanted to return to ODU to explore the passion she felt as a child visiting and working at the library. The new career would still allow her to work in public education while separating her personal and work lives.

“I knew from the time she started our program that she would make an excellent teacher,” said Barbie Miller, an operations intake coordinator with ODUGlobal who served as a resource for Meredith. “I am thrilled she has continued into a grad program and in a new direction still in the world of public education.”

Meredith discovered several changes in distance learning when she returned to the University. The supportive system had grown and became even more friendly for a non-traditional student. She found the path to the second degree paved with the experience gained during online learning. Her second degree was asynchronous, so she could choose when to watch lectures and complete coursework.

“Zoom wasn’t around when I started online learning,” Meredith said. “But ODU gave so much support, and it really put me ahead of the curve. Then pandemic hit, and everyone went digital. I got a head start on my master’s degree because I’d already grew comfortable with online learning.”

Meredith’s work in the library began as the 2023-24 school year started in Front Royal. She will work as a student teacher again with a mentor until she finishes her master’s program in the spring. But she already feels at home in the library and has begun to advocate for inclusion and diversity in libraries and curricula.

"I am so proud of (Miller's) accomplishments," said professor Sue Kimmel, who taught Miller in her master's program. "I often say you never know where a library degree will take you, and I’m excited to see her working in a school library."