Veteran Supports Her New Mission of Serving Children with U of A Online Study
September 4, 2025 | by Heidi Wells, Global Campus
A wounded warrior, Audrey Narlock shifted her passion from serving her country through active duty to teaching youth who lost a parent in military service. Now, she is on a new mission: earning a bachelor's degree delivered online by the University of Arkansas to support her work.
A former resident of Fayetteville, Narlock is back at home in her native Wisconsin, where she is enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Education in Educational Studies for Mixed Educational Environments. The degree focuses on skills and knowledge needed for careers related to education in environments outside the public school classroom.
"At first, I thought, 'I'm too old,' but my grandmother said, 'If you ever stop learning, you might as well die.' Nobody knows everything and you can always keep learning no matter how old you get," Narlock said. "I decided I'm going to take this on. I've been to war twice, been shot at, been blown up. That was really scary, but I'm scared to do this, too."
A New Direction
She was wounded in 1999 in Kuwait during Operation Southern Watch in an explosion involving a generator that powered a Patriot missile system. All Narlock wanted to do her entire life was be a soldier so, when she found herself using a wheelchair, she pondered what direction to take. She connected with John C. Maxwell, an internationally known leadership expert, who heard her speak publicly about getting out of the wheelchair, something some people said she wouldn't do. She was medical retired from the Army in 2005.
She attended Maxwell's online school for leadership education and has worked with him as a motivational speaker since 2006. While earning a bachelor's degree in business leadership development from another university, Narlock found the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, called TAPS, a national nonprofit organization providing compassionate care and comprehensive resources to all those grieving a death in the military or veteran community. Needing to fulfill a requirement for volunteer service hours for the degree, Narlock became a mentor to children with a parent or sibling in the military who did not make it home.
Long after the requirement was fulfilled, she continues to serve families through TAPS.
"I work with teenagers in TAPS helping them deal with grief in a healthy way," Narlock said. "We understand their parents grieve in a different way. We teach how to integrate their grief into life and how to communicate with each other. I love working with these families; it fills me up."
Helping Children
Narlock participates as a mentor in Good Grief Camps organized by TAPS. With the assistance of Maxwell, she also combines her passion for military service with her leadership education training to teach a class for teens in TAPS.
"We are teaching kids at a younger age how to be leaders," Narlock said. "We talk about how to treat other kids. We need to start them at a very young age to be that role model. It helps keep them on the path to success."
Officials at TAPS suggested Narlock pursue an education bachelor's degree to enhance her ability to serve youth.
Flexibility, Support
She wasn't aware of the options available for higher education. Both the academics and technology have challenged her, Narlock said, as well as serious health issues. Because Good Grief Camps are held at military bases from coast to coast, the online format has been vital for her to keep going during cancer treatment, she said.
"I can still do my homework," she said. "I can keep up with everything and still do my job. It fills my tank."
Support from her family has also been important, she said.
Using Stories
One of her favorite parts of the degree program is using varying genres of children's books that Rhett Hutchins introduces to students. Hutchins is a teaching associate professor who also coordinates the educational studies program.
The books can help children understand they are not alone in what they are experiencing and feeling, Narlock said.
"These books help them realize they are not the only ones losing things," she said. "Everybody loses, and more of what you gain is not material. There are friendships you gain when you have to change locations as circumstances dictate."
Whenever possible, Narlock takes children outside for class. She teaches deep breathing and other techniques to ground themselves and focus on nature around them.
"We try to get away from human-made noises," she said. "Subconsciously, they are learning to calm themselves and lower their barriers. We sit in a circle and no one interrupts the person who is talking. We are teaching them how to communicate."
In the past 10 years, Narlock has mentored 28 youth who are now young adults, and she hears from many of them weekly. They built a relationship that has withstood the passing of time, she said.
Welcoming Vibes
Despite its size, the U of A made her feel welcome, Narlock said, and she was able to get assistance she needed from faculty and staff. The excitement Leslie Shaw, her academic adviser in the College of Education and Health Professions, showed as she helped Narlock pick classes made an impression.
"She made me feel I was wanted there," Narlock said. "She gets 40% of the credit for why I came. I'm not used to people being excited for me."
Two Options
The BSE in Educational Studies offers two concentrations: the one Narlock chose for mixed educational environments and one for paraprofessionals in Arkansas who are seeking a bachelor's degree as a path to licensure from the Arkansas Department of Education.
The BSE in Educational Studies for Mixed Educational Environments teaches graduates how to infuse the concepts of education into meaningful learning experiences that empower others' personal growth and development. They gain skills needed for a wide range of career roles that focus on supporting, mentoring and empowering young people across many learning settings in community, nonprofit and private environments. These include community centers, recreational organizations and after-school programs like the YMCA or Boys and Girls Clubs.
The BSE in Educational Studies for Paraprofessionals does not include licensure; it is designed to allow people working in an education setting to complete a bachelor's degree. From there, graduates may pursue additional state approved licensing programs.
Different from degrees that include initial licensure, this program takes a broader approach to education in all aspects of teaching and learning in community, nonprofit, and private environments. It focuses on foundational knowledge of the field of education and general theory and practice of learning and teaching, preparing graduates with the skills and abilities to apply teaching strategies to a variety of learning environments.
B.S.E. in Educational Studies for Mixed Educational Environments
This concentration, Mixed Educational Environments, focuses on the skills and knowledge needed for careers in education in environments outside the public-school classroom. Learn to infuse the concepts of education into meaningful learning experiences that empower others’ personal growth and development.
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