Story: Lisa Sollie | Photo Cody Ingram

When the University of West Alabama launched its in fall 2024, Rachel Walters saw an opportunity to gain the specialized training she wished had been available when her brother struggled with dyslexia as a child. Walters saw firsthand how few resources Alabama offered students with learning differences.

Now a reading interventionist at Briarwood Christian School in Birmingham, Walters works with students with language delays, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other reoccurring diagnoses, including dyslexia. Prior to enrolling in UWA’s program, she relied primarily on intervention strategies.

Four years ago, a new director of student support services—who was also a licensed dyslexia therapist—introduced her to the field’s specialized training, sparking an interest that eventually led to UWA.

“Research showed dyslexia therapy was the gold standard, and I thought, ‘Well, I need more tools in my toolbelt,’” Walters said. “But I couldn’t find the right program until UWA began offering its .”

According to Sara Reynolds, assistant professor in UWA’s College of Education, no other university in the state offers a dyslexia therapy program like it.

The program also comes as the Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) pushes for more dyslexia therapists in schools statewide.

UWA has partnered with Shelton School in Texas, which uses Take Flight Therapy, a research-based, multisensory reading curriculum designed to help children ages seven and older with dyslexia and related reading challenges.  Developed by the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite for Children, the comprehensive program trains struggling readers to decode, spell, and comprehend written language effectively.

“I love the support we get from the Shelton School; it is teacher-and student-friendly as well as easy to navigate,” Reynolds said. 

Take Flight Therapy is one of only a few approved dyslexia intervention programs in Alabama. The program also prepares students to qualify for the Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) credential. After graduation, students are eligible to take the national certification exam.

“Take Flight is also used by ARI and we use the same trainer,” Reynolds said. The difference is our program takes teachers who only have a bachelor’s degree and trains them to sit for national exam, while earning a master’s degree at the same time. ARI works with teachers who already have a master’s degree. After they complete the training, they can sit for the exam. Our goal is the same—to get more certified dyslexia therapists in Alabama schools.”

The online program is intensive, requiring students to complete 700 clinical teaching hours using the curriculum. As soon as student learn enough of the curriculum, they begin completing their therapy hours in real-world settings.

“You’re literally learning and doing at the same time,” Walters said. “I found that extremely helpful. I didn’t really feel like I mastered it until I taught it, maybe even a couple of times.”

“Some of our students are being put in dyslexia therapy positions because once they begin that first year of the program, they are considered dyslexia therapists in training,” Reynolds said. “They can start accumulating their 700 hours, which is what Rachel did. Other students may have to be a little creative in getting those hours, so it may take them a little longer to complete the program.”

Walters said the program has equipped her with new strategies and skills to make an even greater difference for her students.

“Not only was my training very specific and in-depth, but we had wonderful trainers,” she said. “I loved how Take Flight Therapy sets students up for success. When I meet students who are discouraged, frustrated and defeated, I’m able to tell them, ‘You’ve got this,’ and then see their growth. That is really rewarding.”

In addition to Walters, five other students residing in Alabama completed the program in May. An additional 14 students are expected to complete the program by the end of the summer or in the fall.

Reynolds noted that with the third cohort starting this summer, the total number of active students in the program has grown to 37. In addition to those from Alabama, students from Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, and Florida are also enrolled.

One of Walters’ favorite things about the program is that it highlights the strengths dyslexic students possess, not just their challenges.

“I tell my students all the time, that reading and spelling might be a weakness, and we’re going to work on that,” she said. “But because of the way God made your brain, you may also be creative, passionate, or gifted in other ways. That boosts their confidence and usually encourages them to read more, and that’s important to me.”

Now that graduation is behind her, Walters is preparing to take the national exam and become a Certified Academic Language Therapist.

Walters recalls when a student told her on one of the hard days of studying, balancing motherhood and working, “Reading in the classroom is hard, but I love reading with you.” She said moments like those made all the hard work and long hours over the past two years worth it.

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Story by Lisa Sollie

Aileen Charles has never needed a practical reason to take on a challenge.

That mindset has taken the recent University of West Alabama finance graduate from kicking footballs at Northridge High School in Tuscaloosa to collegiate soccer and, most recently, preparing to hike the 2,600-mile Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) this summer.

Charles tends to choose the unconventional route. When her high school needed a kicker, she stepped up. When she enrolled at UWA as a soccer recruit, she chose—at her father’s advice—to pursue a rigorous major. She majored in finance not to prepare for a specific career, but to gain knowledge she could carry throughout life.

Her hard work in the classroom paid off when she was presented the Ralph M. Lyon Award, the University’s top graduating student award during May 8 commencement exercises. The Ralph M. Lyon Award for Academic Excellence is given to the student with the most outstanding scholastic record among all students receiving baccalaureate degrees at UWA since the preceding commencement. Presented by Interim Provost Dr. Amy Jones, the award is named in honor of Dr. Ralph M. Lyon, a longtime professor, and administrator at the University.

Now, her sights are set even higher.

Charles wants to fly.

“I thought about going into the military or flight school directly from high school,” she said, “but when I was recruited to UWA, I took the opportunity because I realized not everyone has an opportunity to play a sport they love on a collegiate level. I’m glad I did. It wasn’t far away and felt like home the first time I came to campus.”

Aviation has interested Charles since childhood. Although she hasn’t decided whether to enlist or pursue Auburn University’s aviation program, she said her time hiking the Pacific Crest Trail will give her plenty of time to think about what comes next.

Often considered the West Coast equivalent of the Appalachian Trail, the PCT begins near the Mexican border in Campo, California, stretching through California, Oregon, and Washington before ending at the Canadian border.

Charles said a friend asked her if she wanted to go, and she didn’t need much convincing to say yes.

Researching the trail for about a year, Charles purchased the gear she would need. One major purchase—a satellite phone—was gifted to her by her mother at Christmas.

“While my parents are a little nervous about the trip,” she said, “they are also excited because they know I’ve never really had a lot of free time over the summers before, between working, playing soccer and workouts. This is the first time I’ve had time to do something just for me that I wanted to do, so they’ve been very supportive.”

Charles knows her path may not look like anyone else’s, but that has never bothered her. This summer, she’ll head west and start walking, ready to see where the trail leads next.

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Story: Lisa Sollie | Photo: Cody Ingram

For Meridian resident Tanesha Slocum, the belief that “nothing worth having comes easy” is more than a saying—it’s a way of life.

Pursuing an associate degree in nursing at the University of West Alabama, Slocum balanced service in the Army Reserve’s 828^th Battalion in Livingston with full-time college—all while raising three children, welcoming a new baby and building a new marriage. On May 8, she added another title to her list: college graduate.

“I had a great experience at UWA, and I really loved my instructors and professors,” Slocum said. “They invest so much time and energy into their students’ success. Even after I failed a class and had to sit out a year, they worked with me. They are always open to questions and willing to go over material when you don’t understand something, and I appreciate that so much.”

That belief—that nothing worth having comes easy—has defined every step of her journey and guided one of her most difficult decisions: choosing not to reenlist at the end of her contract and instead transition to full-time college.

“Even though I started the nursing program after I got married and welcomed my third child, I believe transitioning from the military was probably my greatest challenge,” she said. “Going from the consistency and stability of a steady paycheck to not working at all was difficult. Then we moved off the Naval Air Station in Meridian. It was a lot of change in a short period of time.”

Curiosity about the university near the Reserve Center ultimately led Slocum to UWA. Her interest in nursing began earlier, while working in home health after an initial attempt at college in Florida didn’t work out.

“Life got in the way back then, but I had a grandfather who was a nurse, so I decided to apply at UWA and was accepted.”

Slocum says discipline and her faith are what have carried her through—and her husband and two older children helped as well.

“I was pretty young when I had them. My daughter is now 14 and my son is 13,” Slocum said. “We’ve come a long way together. Throughout this whole process, they constantly tell me how proud they are of me. They let me know on test days that they’ve prayed for me and that I’m going to do well. My daughter acts like a little mama, asking me if I studied, and then asking for my notes so she can quiz me.”

Slocum has already completed a few prerequisites for the bachelor of science in nursing program at UWA and hopes to enter the program in October. Now she’s focusing on preparing for the NCLEX, the national licensure exam for registered nurses, and finding a job closer to home.

“I’ve been commuting for the past several years, first for work, and then for school. I’ve applied to a few places here in town, and I’m just praying for direction on where to go,” Slocum said. “I know things are going to crank up for me now that both my older children will be at Meridian High this fall—my daughter in color guard and my son playing football. But I’m not stopping yet—I still have more to accomplish.”

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