A baccalaureate graduation is always a moment to remember for a lifetime. Even more so when you have four young children and live nearly 200 miles away from your campus.

That was the experience of Jessica Castillo ’25, who celebrated commencement last month as part of the online B.A. in Business Administration degree-completion program in Cal State Fullerton’s College of Business and Economics. Designed for nontraditional and working professionals, this fully online program opens doors of opportunity for students near and far who would otherwise be unable to earn their degree. Students can forgo worries about parking, commuting, and balancing work and school schedules while earning the same respected degree that makes the Business Titan identity world-renowned. 

Castillo’s collegiate journey began in 2005 at Bakersfield College, a community college in California’s Central Valley, after she earned her high school diploma. “At the time, I had no clear direction for a career and dropped out after my first semester to focus on working,” recalls Castillo. “After nearly a decade in the workforce, I realized that advancing in my career would require further education.”

After realizing a bachelor’s degree was necessary and recognizing that attending in-person classes at Cal State Bakersfield wouldn’t be possible while raising a young family, Castillo selected a fully online program. And that is what brought her to Cal State Fullerton’s business college.

In addition to the tireless support of her husband and mother-in-law, Castillo points to several unique and valuable benefits in the Online B.A. in Business Administration program that helped her and that she feels would be invaluable to others as well:

• The time savings are significant. “This allowed me to continue providing and caring for my family,” says Castillo. “The structured [course] schedule took away the stress of deciding which classes to take.”
• The cohort model builds bonds. “Collaboration was more effective with the same team members for group projects across classes,” says Castillo. “We already knew each other’s strengths and responsibilities, which helped us work efficiently and support each other.”
• Regular communication with administrators and academic advisors keeps students on track. “Each semester, they reached out to us with guidance on class registration, keeping me focused,” she says.
• The eight-week schedule enables students to focus on one class at a time. “It made the workload feel manageable and kept me motivated, even while I was pregnant with my fourth child. I didn’t have to pause my progress or put school on the back burner” says Castillo. “It provided a clear, time-bound roadmap that made my goal both achievable and manageable. Checking off each class as I progressed was not only motivating but gave me a sense of accomplishment along the way.”

Castillo looks ahead to launching a social enterprise-focused business advocating for and supporting working caregivers. Her experience navigating motherhood while pursuing her Cal State Fullerton education has uniquely prepared and equipped her for championing the needs of caregivers. “With a solid foundation in business and a deep, lived understanding of caregiving, I am committed to driving meaningful change at the intersection of career and caregiving,” says Castillo.

For more on the online B.A. in Business Administration degree-completion program, visit the program website or read more of our CSUF online business degree articles.