After graduating with a bachelor’s in sports management, Aysha Doucet is preparing to work toward a master’s in human resource management.

It’s 6 a.m. Friday, May 16, 2025. The College of Arts and Sciences at Texas Tech University is set to have its commencement ceremony later in the morning.

Aysha Doucet is wide awake. It’s hard to say she ever really slept. The excitement of graduating with her bachelor’s degree in sports management – the culmination of her journey as a first-generation student – has been at the forefront of her mind all week.

The sun’s rays start to peek through the vast Lubbock horizon. Aysha takes her time, meticulously steaming out the wrinkles of her gown as her eyes well up with would-be tears. 

“Graduating college was all I ever wanted to do since I was a little girl,” Aysha reflected. “Most people don’t have the opportunity to graduate with their bachelor’s degree at 19, and I’m very fortunate to have received mine at such a young age.”

As a high school student, Aysha completed several college courses, even graduating with an associate degree before earning her high school diploma. Her goal wasn’t to just earn a bachelor’s degree; she wanted to earn one as efficiently as possible. 

Aysha wanted to stay in Texas since she banked so many college credits. She could comfortably earn a bachelor’s degree in just two or three years, depending on her chosen major. 

She also wanted to grow as a person, away from the safety net of her family. Her eventual college needed to be far enough away for her to be on her own, yet close enough to family if their support was ever needed.

Texas Tech, being approximately eight hours from her home in Missouri City, Texas, seemed like a great option. Even better, Aysha appreciated the flexibility Texas Tech offered. 

“Texas Tech has so many different majors, and I knew I wanted to go to a school where I could continue earning a degree beyond my bachelor’s,” she said.

And that’s exactly what Aysha will do this fall semester, enrolling in the Graduate School and working toward a master’s degree in human resource management.

Setting an Example

Aysha has often found herself as the youngest person in a room, be that during her dual-credit courses in high school, her upper-level undergraduate courses or her soon-to-be graduate-level courses. She credits her parents and her family as foundational to developing the self-confidence to succeed.

“I have always wanted more for myself,” she said. “More than what my parents could give me because they tried the best they could and raised me to be who I am.”

Aysha jokes that her parents were hard on her, helping to prepare her for the hardships of the world. Though they never went to college themselves, her parents always made sure Aysha felt confident in herself to succeed wherever her journey took her, something she’s very grateful for. 

She became goal-driven in a way that helped her zero in on the short- and long-term steps. Taking dual-credit courses not only challenged her intellectually but set her up to earn her bachelor’s degree in half the time as a traditional student. 

She also sees her graduation as much of a personal accomplishment as it is an example for her siblings to follow (though, perhaps not at such a breakneck speed). 

“They don’t have to walk the same path as me, but I want them to know they’re capable of doing anything they put their minds to,” Aysha said. “I want them to do what’s in their best interest, to make smart decisions and be the best they can be.”

Aysha comes from a large family. She is a middle child of seven, with the oldest sibling being 28 years old and the youngest being 2.

“I want to be that role model for my siblings,” she said. “Being able to walk the stage with honors and have them all here with me – it was like my little village coming to celebrate.” 

Joining the Team

Like echoes reverberating across Palo Duro Canyon, the memories of commencement still bounce around in Aysha’s mind even as she prepares to work toward a Master of Science in Human Resource Management (MS-HRM) through the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business.

Aysha took an HR course while completing her sports management degree and fell in love with the idea of being an organization’s backbone.

She’s seen firsthand how important those supportive roles can be during her time as a student assistant for the Texas Tech football program, which she joined in fall 2024.

Her primary duties have involved working with recruits during their visits to Texas Tech. She connected concepts from her HR course to her work with the football team, ensuring the recruits and their families had a nice and eventful time on campus. 

“I can definitely say that recruiting has been amazing,” Aysha said, beaming. “Talking and connecting with the recruits and their families is what I love doing most.”

While she’ll be in Lubbock and continue working for Texas Tech’s football program in the fall, Aysha opted to enroll in the online MS-HRM program because of its emphasis on professional recruiting. After graduating, she hopes to continue working on the recruiting side of the sports world for the first few years of her career before shifting to HR.

Aysha is especially excited about the opportunity to earn her master’s online. Though she appreciated her in-person coursework as an undergraduate, she said it often felt like information went in one ear and out the other for her when sitting in a lecture.

“I know it sounds kind of backwards,” she chuckled, “but it’s just the type of learner I am. If you give me the information and give me what I need to study, I’m able to better comprehend it instead of just sitting in a two-hour lecture.”

Aysha believes enrolling in an online program while also being based in Lubbock will give her the best of both in-person and virtual options. She’ll be able to lean into her preferred learning style while still having in-person access to faculty, staff and support services from Rawls College and the Graduate School.

She’s now on target to graduate with her master’s degree in 2027, a similar window in which many of her peers from high school may graduate with their bachelor’s degrees.

Aysha is excited to extend her time at Texas Tech as a graduate student.

“I needed two years to get my bachelor’s degree, which was a blessing,” Aysha said. “I’ve only been with the football program for almost a year now. I wanted to stay here to build up my experience. I just felt like my chapter here in Lubbock wasn’t done.”

Most importantly to Aysha, she hopes to inspire other 19-year-olds and future Red Raiders.

“I want people to know the sky’s the limit,” she said. “Everybody’s paths are different, but it’s all about paving the way for yourself and the people around you.”