Besides being blessed with delightfully creative names, brothers Famous and Special Kirk have recently encountered another blessing: a chance to further their education online.

Among the huge devastation left in Hurricane Katrina's wake was the ruining of many schools and universities, including a massive flood at the Kirks' school, Dillard University.

With no chance to attend class, how would the brothers further their education and careers?

One answer: with a chance to attend College Online.

They took part in the experimental Sloan Semester, created just days after the school's devastation.

The Sloan Semester was designed to allow 1,000 students to continue their college education completely online.

"We saw the devastation and realized they would have to shut down the university, so we immediately thought, 'What can we do with online education?'" Oakley said. "What better way to help those students, to keep them going and to help them get their degrees?"

The Kirk brothers thought a semester off would delay their graduation. Special tried unsuccessfully to transfer to another college. Famous wanted to continue his education, but did not want to leave his family.

Instead, they were able to study at their own pace and hold jobs.

Again, another example of how important online education is becoming.

Congratulations to the Kirks, and to all the students and educators who make these innovations possible.

You can read the rest of this inspiring story here.

(Photo Source: Dillard University)