With the end of this eventful year nearing, I’m feeling intense gratitude. I started my MBA with Kelley Direct in February 2021 shortly after my 24th birthday. Not only was I the first in my family start graduate school, I also got accepted into the #1 program! This felt like an unbelievable opportunity that was going to change my life and my family’s, until it didn’t. A few weeks after my first week of class, my mom was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer, and suddenly this opportunity felt like an impossible burden.
I’ve talked about juggling insane responsibilities, but something I haven’t shared with most people is that for the first year of my program, I was a full-time caregiver too. My husband and I moved back in with my mom so I could be her primary caregiver through treatment, which is something I would never just juggle nor compromise on.
My mom encouraged me to continue with my studies, and with incredibly understanding professors, the innate flexibility of the Kelley Direct MBA program, and endless support from my employer, I did. I was able to take my mom to every single surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment while still working full-time and maintaining a full course load. I interviewed with my current boss from the hospital lobby, and I caught up on lecture recordings while waiting for my mom to finish her appointments.
My family has been and will always be the priority, and there are no words to express my deep gratitude for both my Kelley Direct team and my Kelly Science & Clinical team for never making me feel like I had to choose between my family, my education, and my career/livelihood. Because of them, I also got to be with my mom as she rung the bell celebrating, she was cancer-free and at her follow-up appointments when her care team confirmed there was no sign of recurrence.
I realized that there aren’t any guarantees in life and that I wanted to embrace every single moment and opportunity, so I applied to share my MBA experience with all of you despite being very shy, introverted, and uncomfortable on social media. And I was terrified when I was selected!
I started sharing my MBA journey in February 2022 shortly after my mom’s cancer-free diagnosis, and I’m proud of myself for turning my words into actions. I’m about to register for classes, and in February 2023, I’ll start my final quarter before I graduate with my MBA and my MS Business Analytics from Kelley Direct. It’s unbelievable how much life can change in a year, and I’m looking forward to what 2023 will hold!
Thank you all for turning these impossibles into possibles with me and experiencing this life-changing year with me!
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