Justin Wills Sr. made a promise to his wife, Natrea, when they started their life together.
Kids and careers aside, he would make sure she got back to college to earn the degree she never got to finish.
It took time, and life got even busier, but Justin is poised to fulfill his promise this year. The Wills are a few courses away from finishing the B.S. in Business Administration program at The University of Baltimore.
“It proves that dreams delayed are not dreams denied and that it is never too late to finish what you started,” Natrea said.
For Justin, family and community are everything.
How he weighs his priorities was a lesson learned from his late grandfather. James Nathaniel Dorsey founded a church and a daycare to support a small, unincorporated Maryland town.
After his death, Justin took over The Miracle Temple Church, Inc., as minister and president, balancing duties with a full-time job with the U.S. Department of Defense.
Justin wants to grow the nonprofit, both in its impact and its footprint, beyond Anne Arundel County while staying true to its mission. He’s already taken the first steps to honor his grandfather’s legacy.
In fall 2025, Justin rallied support from local partners to organize large-scale food and toy giveaways in fall 2025 to help neighbors and co-workers who, like Justin, were furloughed during the record 43-day federal government shutdown.
The nonprofit also offers monthly food support, serving 800-1000 households.
“I’m a big believer in community. I’m a big believer in outreach. And I believe nobody gets anywhere in life without support or help of some organization or somebody helping you,” Justin said.
Flexibility Made College Possible
When Justin started pursuing his bachelor’s degree, he initially wanted to prove to himself that he could do it. Over time at UBalt, however, he’s found he can apply what he’s learning in his classes to better serve the nonprofit.
“My coursework and business management and finance have helped me make more informed decisions,” he said. “I don’t think I looked at problems and took the time to really sit back and get a holistic view of the issues that were at hand. But I believe with the knowledge that I’ve gained, I’m now able to sit down and make more informed leadership decisions in my nonprofit work, especially in handling finances at the incorporation, being able to do proper bookkeeping, profit and loss, all that stuff.”
This flexibility enables me to remain focused on my job and continue my leadership role at my church without sacrificing my academic success.
The husband and wife share a love of service and leadership. It’s evident in their commitment to the church and their work.
In addition to his work with the nonprofit, Justin works as a supply chain lead for the U.S. Department of Defense, overseeing aircraft for the U.S. Marines and Navy fleets. He is also chaplain for Anne Arundel County Police Department, one of the partnerships Justin has fostered to expand the church’s outreach.
Natrea works for the U.S. Postal Service. She wants to stay with the organization but pivot from working on the road to a management position where she can guide employees and improve operations.
“By leading instead of just doing the physical work, I can serve more effectively and with greater impact,” she said. “That growth will also allow me to create more time and capacity to support the nonprofit and church work my husband and I are building together, ensuring that our service to the community continues to grow.”
Between the nonprofit, their full-time careers and a family that has grown to three children, ages 12, 8 and 5, the Wills needed a college that fit in their schedule.
When he started investigating transfer options, UBalt stood out among the rest.
“I was like, I have to find something that’s going to be able to balance what I already currently have going on and I’ll be able to fit right in,” he said. “And as I weighed my options—and I did extensive research on all these schools—UBalt was by far the best solution.”
Justin appreciated that he had hybrid options as well as online courses, even though he favors the latter. The flexibility means he can avoid a two-hour commute and save time for all the things that matter most, like his children’s sports games and activities.
“The flexibility in course scheduling has been very instrumental in allowing me to juggle my responsibilities as a student and professionally within the federal government role that I have and as a leader in my community,” he said. “The option to take classes in the evening or online has helped me really to manage my time effectively. This flexibility enables me to remain focused on my job and continue my leadership role at my church without sacrificing my academic success. It also allows me to meet deadlines while still being present for my family and community commitments.”
Faculty Offer Well-Rounded Support
Natrea appreciates that UBalt is a school that respects her time. She could fit online classes around life’s other moments: “I studied early mornings before my kids woke up, late nights after long shifts, and in the quiet moments in between real life.”
“School didn’t disrupt my rhythm; it honored it,” she said. “UBalt allowed me to grow without guilt. I didn’t have to choose between being a mother, a worker, a wife or a student. I was able to be all of those things at the same time.”
Over her time at UBalt, Natrea has found more to love than flexibility and knowledge.
“UBalt didn’t just give me coursework; it gave me confidence,” she said. “After being away from school for so long, I didn’t know if I still belonged in an academic space. UBalt made it clear that my real-world experience mattered, that my voice mattered, and that leadership could be developed right where I was.”
At UBalt, particularly alongside his wife, Justin finally found the support he needed the first time he tried college.
“You can go to any university and you can gain knowledge, but what I’ve learned from the experience here at UBalt is, to me, it does not feel like I’m taking a class online. … The professors make you feel like you are in the classroom.”
Both Wills have appreciated multiple and consistent touchpoints with professors, in the classroom, through messages and in returned calls.
“I’ve never had this type of support,” Justin said. ... “I think it’s because of those professors’ consistency and support that they’ve poured into me; it definitely pushed me and allowed me to keep going.”
Natrea echoed her husband from her own experiences.
“That level of care went far beyond what tuition could ever pay for,” she said. “UBalt made me feel seen, not stretched thin and that changed everything.”