Victoria Bradley moved to Panama City Beach more than a dozen years ago, because she wanted to live near the ocean. Her proximity to the Florida coast spurred dual interests in tourism and the environment—along with an academic journey that’s earned her four college degrees, with more still to come.
Four degrees, and counting: UF online programs help Victoria Bradley realize her academic dreams on her terms
“At first, I didn’t really have a clear path,” Bradley said. “So, I just kept following my passion and seeing how all the puzzle pieces kind of started coming together. And I was like, wow, this is perfect for me. It fits with the town I live in and everything.”
Weaving together degree programs covering areas such as law, sport management, tourism and hospitality, and ecology and conservation, Bradley has built a well-rounded academic background that’s made her attuned to important issues affecting the Sunshine State. She’s done it all remotely, while holding down jobs and starting businesses of her own, with the bulk of her academic work done through UF’s online and distance learning programs.
Bradley’s goal is to become a university professor researching solutions to problems such as overtourism and threats to Florida’s delicate ecology. “People come here to see these beautiful things, and if we destroy them, it becomes counterproductive,” she said. “I want to help people who will be making these policy decisions understand how all this fits together and influences our quality of life.”
From Sociology to Sports
Living near the fragile coastline provided one motivation for Bradley—and Gators football provided another. She attended her first UF football game in Jacksonville, against archrival Georgia at the height of the Tim Tebow era and was hooked. To that point, Bradey’s post-secondary education had consisted solely of an associate’s degree from a community college in Panama City Beach. If she was going back to college, she knew exactly where she wanted to go.
Her journey began with UF Online and a bachelor’s in Sociology, which she graduated cum laude. Bradley then received an online Juris Master of Law degree with a specialization in risk mitigation from Florida State University, and followed that with an online master’s in Tourism, Hospitality, and Event Management from UF. It all led to what Bradley called her “dream job” working for a Panhandle vacation company—where she began to notice the damage overtourism can wreak.
“From a professional standpoint, I didn’t know what overdevelopment was. I didn’t know what overcrowding was. And then I was literally seeing it in front of my eyes,” she said. “They would build up, build up, build up, and not have the infrastructure there. You’d see traffic, litter, locals having problems, people complaining about animals in their backyard. I started to see it from a firsthand perspective, and being exposed to it daily kind of drove my passion.”
The experience led Bradley to pursue another online master’s degree, this one in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from UF, with a specialization in forensic science. And since Gators football helped kickstart her academic journey, she began working toward an online master’s in Sport Management at UF with a specialization in sports law. She’s scheduled to graduate from that program in 2027—by which time she’ll have already started work toward her Ph.D., in the online Health, Leisure, and Human Performance program at Oklahoma State University.
“What I really want to do is pursue my dissertation in environmental tourism and sustainability with an emphasis on quality of life,” Bradley said. “I love the beach. I love the outdoors. I love seeing tourists come and enjoy that, as long as it’s sustainable. Being able to research that, and learn it, and teach it in the future, it’s the puzzle pieces all coming together. And UF really helped me, by opening doors for me that I never knew were possible.”
Learning to ‘be limitless’
Bradley has pursued her multiple degrees all while working in hospitality, tourism, law and real estate. She’s founded two businesses—one which offers consultation on legal matters involving real estate, and another which helps plan vacations in Panama City Beach. The flexibility built into UF Online and distance learning programs has been crucial in allowing Bradley to work and study at the same time, all while living near her beloved beach.
“Once I moved to Panama City Beach, I didn’t want to relocate,” Bradley said. “The online programs just fit my lifestyle and allowed me the freedom to pursue other career endeavors while also maintaining the quality of life that I want. It’s been a wonderful experience.”
As a self-motivated and independent learner, Bradley said she prefers the online model—which allows her to pause and rewatch recorded lectures whenever she wants. Even studying online, she’s been able to build close relationships with her professors, who worked with her when Hurricane Michael destroyed her house while she was pursuing her undergraduate degree. Another UF professor provided the motto that’s come to define Bradley’s academic journey: Be limitless.
“A lot of people don’t know these opportunities are even available, or how far you can go with them,” Bradley said. “Whether because of work or family obligations, they may not think they’re able to get a degree, or several degrees. But I’m showing that not only can you do it, you can enjoy it. I’ve enjoyed the whole process of studying online. I’ve never felt burned out or overwhelmed or like I had to uproot my life. I was able to pursue my dreams on my terms.”
UF Online offers 28 fully online degree programs—with online students learning from the same instructors and earning the same degrees as those on campus. In addition, UF’s distance learning program offers master’s, doctoral or specialist degrees and certificate programs available fully online.