SNHU Spotlight: Travis Baril, BA in Psychology Grad

A degree from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) represents many things to many different people. For Travis Baril ’24, the symbolic journey to his diploma began after the loss of his mother and ended with walking across the graduation stage at the SNHU Arena.

For Baril, graduation felt like the end of the first leg of his journey, and the start of something new.

“Seeing me get to this point, I think, would have been a really, really important part of (my mom's) life," he said. "Even when she was on her death bed, she knew that I was going back to school and could not wait to see me cross the stage and be more proud of me.”

While the road to his degree has not always been easy, he found strength and encouragement in the memory of his mother, and in his support systems at SNHU.

“My experience that stood out the most was my time with my advisor. Her name is Heather Joubert," Baril said. "She is amazing. She emailed me regularly, checked in all the time with my classes ... (and) anytime I started to feel like I was starting to lose that will to keep going, Heather was really good at picking me back up.”

Along with a strong support system, Baril said the most important thing the online psychology degree program gave him was his confidence, which he’ll take with him from the graduation stage to his next stage of life.

“I cannot say enough good things about this program," he said. "If you’re ever thinking about trying to get somewhere, if you really are just stuck in a rut and don’t know what to do, it’s easy enough to where you’re not overwhelmed, you can go at your own pace, but it’s so well done that you don’t realize how fast a knowledge base you’re learning.”

Even after overcoming challenges, whether personal or academic, Baril said earning his degree from Southern New Hampshire University was "1,000%" worth it.

“This program has really solidified that not only did I take the right path, but that I was more prepared than I ever expected," he said. "The program itself really lends itself to giving me that confidence that gives me the ability to walk to the next stage of this journey without having any reservations.”

Carley Barton is a copy director at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). Having always been passionate about the written word, she graduated from Plymouth State University with a Bachelor of Arts in English before moving to New York where she worked for various agencies. Now, with over a decade of experience in marketing and advertising, she uses her brand-building and storytelling skills to help share the stories of our learners. In her free time, Carley enjoys writing poetry and personal essays, practicing pottery and being as close to the ocean as possible. Connect with her on LinkedIn.