"Everything was going wrong, and finally something was made right. UMUC is perfect for me."

- Mikell Belser, UMUC Online Student

MyUMUC Story:

UMUC Helps Hurricane Katrina Victims Stay on Track

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, UMUC helped Mikell Belser and students like her stay on track after the storm derailed their educational plans. Belser, 21, a senior at Tulane University in New Orleans, was one of thousands of displaced college students from the Gulf States who had to flee their homes—and their colleges—because of Hurricane Katrina.

Belser was lucky. She left her home in Orleans Parish, New Orleans, Louisiana, two days before the hurricane hit the Gulf Cost on August 29, 2005.

"There have been warnings that we should evacuate every year since I've been in Louisiana," said Belser, who moved home with her parents in Bethesda, Maryland. "I only evacuated my freshman year because I didn't know any better. We quickly realized, though, that [Hurricane Katrina] was the real thing. Everyone we knew was leaving."

Belser and her fiance, Brian fled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in a small car with a three-day supply of clothes, their two dogs, and a potbelly pig they were pet-sitting for friends. "We were glued to the TV", said Belser, who frequently checked Tulane University's emergency Web site for updates about whether the semester would begin as scheduled on September 7.

When it did not, the couple flew to Maryland, where Belser's cousin, a student at University of Maryland, Baltimore County, recommended that Belser check out UMUC's extensive online offerings.

"Everything was going wrong, and finally something was made right. UMUC is perfect for me," said Belser. "I'm taking all my UMUC courses online because I'm not sure where I'll be or when I can go back to Tulane. This way I expect I can still graduate next year, as planned."