OAK HILL, Ohio, Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Jeremy and Linda Phillips got a lot more than they expected when they began attending Ashford University¸ a university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Valentine's Day marks the four-year anniversary of the day Jeremy and Linda met in-person. It is a love story that began in an online classroom – an Ashford University classroom where 98 percent of the students attend classes and earn their degrees online. Passionate Internet forums led to love – and the story ends with the couple's own "happily ever after."

"It was on Valentine's Day, 2007 that Jeremy and I had our first in-person encounter," said Linda, who now holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology. "We met virtually in Ashford's Comparative Religions class at a time I was searching for answers. Jeremy was a Christian and I was not. His assurance and dedication to his faith both annoyed me and attracted me."

Jeremy, who was working on his second bachelor's degree at the time, says, "Our ideas clashed and so did we. Somehow our first impression changed – discussion board posts led to e-mails, which led to phone calls, which led to meeting face-to-face, which eventually led to our marriage."

They were married on September 22, 2007. Linda moved from Michigan to Ohio with her three daughters. Three and a half years of marital bliss later, the Phillips family has grown to include a one-year-old daughter and a son on the way.

Besides a shared love for learning, both Linda and Jeremy are passionate about making a difference in their communities. Jeremy works with troubled teens, both through their church and as a supervisor of corrections officer at the South Central Ohio Regional Juvenile Detention Center.

Linda has worked as a substitute teacher and plans on returning to school to obtain her master's degree in Counseling when her younger children are old enough to be in school. She is committed to inspiring others "who think they cannot finish school – women who were maybe early mothers, displaced homemakers and women who just think they can't. I want to be able to use the knowledge I have obtained to help them get out of seemingly 'no hope' situations."

So, as Valentine's Day approaches, are online classrooms a good place for romance? "I was searching for answers and found the love of my life. It worked for me."

About Ashford University

Founded in 1918, Ashford University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (www.ncahlc.org).  The University offers graduate and undergraduate degree programs online and at its Clinton, Iowa, campus.  The University is known for its high quality yet highly affordable online and on-campus programs.  For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu or call Shari Rodriguez, associate vice president of Public Relations, at 858.513.9240 x2513.

SOURCE Ashford University