Biography
Hello everyone! My name is Stephanie Barbee and I'm 35 years old. Having grown up in a military home, my family moved quite a bit when I was young. Before the age of 18, I had already spent six years in Germany and zigzagged back and forth across the Mississippi River. I graduated high school in 1998, and decided to join the Air Force in October of 1999 after a very unsuccessful first year of college. I chose air traffic control for a career path and refused to join unless there was an opening in that field. I was fortunate enough to only have to wait a couple weeks and was off to basic training. I was very successful in basic training; I was awarded honor grad and was in given command of a flight of recruits. After completing basic training in San Antonio and technical training in Biloxi, Mississippi, I was transferred to my first duty station: Whiteman AFB.
After a year on station I married my best friend and co-worker, Sean M. Barbee (also an air traffic controller). We had only been dating a year when 9/11 occurred, and decided to get married in the event we both deployed at the same time. Only a few short months later we were pregnant with our first child and moved into our very first home. My daughter Madison was born in 2002 and in 2003 we left the United States for a three year tour in Germany. I completed Airman Leadership School and was promoted to Staff Sgt. early in 2004. I was given command of my own crew and really enjoyed managing seven other controllers. In late 2004 I gave birth to my son Colin at Landstuhl Army Hospital near Ramstein, Germany. I separated from the Air Force after serving five and a half years, and started my career as an at-home mother and full-time student.
When I took my first few courses, I wasn't sure what I was interested in, but found myself taking a lot of courses within the humanities discipline. For the next few years I took course after course in an online learning environment with UMUC and loved every minute of it. It was at this point I decided to focus my attention on the atmospheric sciences. While there was a short period of time where I changed my mind and began taking courses that focused on American History, I ultimately came back to atmospheric science and never looked back. With two small kids at home, taking online courses was often difficult. There were a lot of late nights and just as many early mornings, but I was able to get into a workable routine after the first couple of semesters.
After three wonderful years in Germany our family of four moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, spending two very cold years in a northern climate. I spent a lot of time volunteering and being a mom to my two wonderful kids. In 2006 I started an adult volleyball league for active duty spouses, and was amazed at how popular it was. It was a way to get spouses interacting with each other, and served as a bridge between spouses and active duty members. After a year the league began accepting teams of active duty members and civilian teams from Grand Forks, and we became a regional competitive league. To this day, the league is still in place and thriving. I handed the reins over to a capable group of women before leaving for Oklahoma City, but I miss being in charge of something so special and so close to my heart.
In 2008 my husband was medically discharged from the Air Force and took a job working for the FAA in Oklahoma City, and we've been here ever since. While I definitely missed the colder weather, I was excited to move to a location known for its unpredictable weather patterns. I was one of few who couldn't wait to see my first tornado. And it didn't take long either! After two years I was able to capture the famous tornado that hit El Reno, OK on my cell phone. While devastating, from a distance it was a beautiful site and a moment I'll always remember. It was this moment that inspired me to enroll at the University of Oklahoma to get a bachelor's degree in atmospheric sciences at one of the most prestigious meteorology schools in the nation. I was able to finally complete my bachelor's degree in 2012, and decided to start looking for a master's degree program to suit my new interests. Shortly after completing my bachelor's I became interested in education and wanted to see if I could get something started in line with teaching in an online environment. I came back to UMUC and have been pursuing my MDE ever since.
Now I spend my free time coaching my children's softball and soccer teams, and occasionally find myself back on the volleyball court. I recently began coaching with the Oklahoma Storm Volleyball League, and focus my efforts on 12-13 year old girls. Any other free time is spent with my kids and husband; enjoying what Oklahoma has to offer. Eventually I'm hoping to obtain a position as an online instructor, hopefully teaching classes in the natural sciences or humanities. At the moment I am really pushing myself, taking three courses this semester and hopefully in future semesters. With both of my children in school all day, I desperately need something to fill my time and school is definitely doing that for me. I love education and am excited to pursue my dreams as an educator in an online environment. Thank you for viewing my e-Portfolio!
~Stephanie
After a year on station I married my best friend and co-worker, Sean M. Barbee (also an air traffic controller). We had only been dating a year when 9/11 occurred, and decided to get married in the event we both deployed at the same time. Only a few short months later we were pregnant with our first child and moved into our very first home. My daughter Madison was born in 2002 and in 2003 we left the United States for a three year tour in Germany. I completed Airman Leadership School and was promoted to Staff Sgt. early in 2004. I was given command of my own crew and really enjoyed managing seven other controllers. In late 2004 I gave birth to my son Colin at Landstuhl Army Hospital near Ramstein, Germany. I separated from the Air Force after serving five and a half years, and started my career as an at-home mother and full-time student.
When I took my first few courses, I wasn't sure what I was interested in, but found myself taking a lot of courses within the humanities discipline. For the next few years I took course after course in an online learning environment with UMUC and loved every minute of it. It was at this point I decided to focus my attention on the atmospheric sciences. While there was a short period of time where I changed my mind and began taking courses that focused on American History, I ultimately came back to atmospheric science and never looked back. With two small kids at home, taking online courses was often difficult. There were a lot of late nights and just as many early mornings, but I was able to get into a workable routine after the first couple of semesters.
After three wonderful years in Germany our family of four moved to Grand Forks, North Dakota, spending two very cold years in a northern climate. I spent a lot of time volunteering and being a mom to my two wonderful kids. In 2006 I started an adult volleyball league for active duty spouses, and was amazed at how popular it was. It was a way to get spouses interacting with each other, and served as a bridge between spouses and active duty members. After a year the league began accepting teams of active duty members and civilian teams from Grand Forks, and we became a regional competitive league. To this day, the league is still in place and thriving. I handed the reins over to a capable group of women before leaving for Oklahoma City, but I miss being in charge of something so special and so close to my heart.
In 2008 my husband was medically discharged from the Air Force and took a job working for the FAA in Oklahoma City, and we've been here ever since. While I definitely missed the colder weather, I was excited to move to a location known for its unpredictable weather patterns. I was one of few who couldn't wait to see my first tornado. And it didn't take long either! After two years I was able to capture the famous tornado that hit El Reno, OK on my cell phone. While devastating, from a distance it was a beautiful site and a moment I'll always remember. It was this moment that inspired me to enroll at the University of Oklahoma to get a bachelor's degree in atmospheric sciences at one of the most prestigious meteorology schools in the nation. I was able to finally complete my bachelor's degree in 2012, and decided to start looking for a master's degree program to suit my new interests. Shortly after completing my bachelor's I became interested in education and wanted to see if I could get something started in line with teaching in an online environment. I came back to UMUC and have been pursuing my MDE ever since.
Now I spend my free time coaching my children's softball and soccer teams, and occasionally find myself back on the volleyball court. I recently began coaching with the Oklahoma Storm Volleyball League, and focus my efforts on 12-13 year old girls. Any other free time is spent with my kids and husband; enjoying what Oklahoma has to offer. Eventually I'm hoping to obtain a position as an online instructor, hopefully teaching classes in the natural sciences or humanities. At the moment I am really pushing myself, taking three courses this semester and hopefully in future semesters. With both of my children in school all day, I desperately need something to fill my time and school is definitely doing that for me. I love education and am excited to pursue my dreams as an educator in an online environment. Thank you for viewing my e-Portfolio!
~Stephanie