As an undergraduate psychology major, Ashlie Thacker would have hung up on her true calling. “I remember taking a sociology course,” she said. “I turned to my husband, Jon, and said, ‘You need to second guess me if I ever decide to go into social work because I do not like sociology.’”
What a difference a few years makes. Thacker graduated from Boise State University’s Online Master of Social Work (MSW) in December 2024 with a 4.0 GPA. She is the first person in her immediate family to earn a graduate-level degree.
“I have fallen in love with it in terms of what social work means,” she said. “I love helping people and helping advocate for people alongside them. I love giving people a voice who don’t normally have one, which has stood out as a huge value of mine. This program really helped highlight that value.”
Thacker changed her mind about a social work career while working for Utah Behavior Services as a registered behavior technician and mentor. One of her supervisors was a dual-credentialed social worker and ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapist.
“She was a phenomenal human being and clinician,” she said. “I worked hand-in-hand with her with a lot of different clients. She inspired me to take the social work route, rather than an LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor) route.”
The asynchronous online format was especially important to Thacker because she was working full-time and caring for her three-year-old son, David.
“I knew we were going to be moving across the country for my husband’s job within the first month of starting the MSW program, so I needed something that was going to be flexible and could adapt to that where we wouldn’t be landlocked for a specific amount of time for school,” she said. “I also wanted the flexibility to work and provide for our young family, be online and adapt it to my schedule.”
There and back again
Choosing Boise State for the Online MSW wasn’t a difficult decision for Thacker. Born in Boise and raised in eastern Oregon, she knew the significance of becoming a Bronco.
“I seriously considered Boise State for undergrad,” she said. “It came down to the interest visits on Zoom and seeing the statistics of how successful and how highly-regarded the Online MSW program is.”
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in 2021, Thacker and her family moved to Oklahoma for six months before settling in Lynwood, Washington. Thacker is now a mental health therapist at Light Heart Associates in nearby Edmonds.
“I’ve heard from other social workers — in Washington, specifically — that Boise State has a phenomenal clinical program, not just macro and mezzo practice,” she said. “The micro portions focusing on diagnostics for a whole course or focusing on specific modalities is very different from other social work programs in the United States.”
Thacker’s favorite course in the Online MSW curriculum was Research, taught by Heather Witt. Thacker was a research assistant for more than a year at BYU.
“Research has always been one of my main interests with any sort of coursework,” she said. “Heather Witt was a great professor. She was also my club advisor for Phi Alpha and is a splendid human.
“Some of the upper-level elective courses were also great. I felt really supported throughout both of the practicum, field work courses. Those are the ones that stand out the most to me.”
Thacker took away much more than enhancing her knowledge base from her experience in the Online MSW program.
“I have become more aware of my internal biases and worked hard to better myself and my family,” she said. “I have gained a stronger sense of confidence in my abilities by being able to complete this degree.”
Taking the stage
Walking in commencement at Boise State was especially significant to Thacker because COVID-19 prevented her from getting her bachelor’s degree in person.
“It was a great experience to be able to walk for my master’s degree,” she said. “Beyond my incredibly supportive spouse, I want to thank Sarah Matthews and my task supervisors, Jesse Dunn and Gigi Ishaq, for being amazing supporters during my final field placement. I am the clinician I am because of those three.”
Thacker, who coaches little league softball in her free time, is now looking ahead in her career — and possibly even further education.
“It’s been a joke in my family that I am going to be Dr. Ashlie someday,” she said. “The Online MSW showed me that I can do it. A Ph.D. or Doctor of Science used to seem very daunting. Now, I know I can do it. I can go that route somewhere.
“Even though the coursework will likely be different, the foundation I have at Boise State and the relationships I will be able to build with the professors online will be crucial to that success.”
Being able to earn a master’s degree without sacrificing her job or quality time with her family is another reason she is open to continuing her higher education.
“I loved the flexibility that Boise State’s Online MSW program brought into my life,” she said. “Being a young mother and trying to work full-time to make ends meet is difficult in and of itself.
“Having the ability to know when assignments were due and to do classwork wherever I happened to be helped me succeed in obtaining my degree. It was arguably easier than my undergrad.”
Thacker believes the most important thing to remember as a new Online MSW student is to stay the course.
“Don’t give up on it,” she said. “The early courses are the hard ones, for sure. Choose good groups, because you are going to remember those people for the rest of your life. Try to connect with people outside of the classroom and the coursework.
“It can be isolating to be online and asynchronous, but you make it what you want to. If you don’t want to have that connection, that works for some people. For others, wanting to have that sense of community, even if it’s with someone in Pennsylvania, can be the difference in the outcome you get from graduate school.”
Learn more about the social work program
Earning a Master of Social Work Online from Boise State University can open doors to new opportunities and a brighter future — and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Whether you’re exploring if an online degree is right for you or need help transferring credits, connecting with a student success coach is the perfect first step.
Ready to learn more? Attend one of our online information sessions or contact a student success coach today.