Nancy Ellis graduated in May 2023 with a BS in Communication from the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Balancing the roles of a working professional, mother of two children, and spouse, Nancy found her experience at Purdue Global ro be flexible, relevant, and invaluable.

Reflecting on her journey, Nancy shared the profound impact of her educational pursuit on her family dynamics and professional growth. She started her journey 16 years prior, and finally completing her degree allowed Nancy to set a powerful example to her young children, emphasizing the importance of education, perseverance, and personal fulfillment. 

Professionally, Nancy found the curriculum in the program to be immediately applicable to her field, providing her with practical insight and strategies that she could implement in corporate America. She wishes she had finished her degree earlier in her career but recognized how her accumulated life experiences enhanced her understanding and appreciation of the material. Nancy’s decision to return to school was partly motivated by the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic and the desire to remain competitive in her career. "The foundational concepts that were learned in the program were able to be brought back to my work, which made me even more valuable to the team." 

As a working mom, Nancy found navigating her academic responsibilities alongside her family and professional obligations to be somewhat challenging but ultimately rewarding. “It was a team effort where sometimes my husband would have to make the meals or do the chores so I had time to complete my work.” Nancy’s degree program took a lot less time than traditional programs because of Purdue Global's credit for prior learning portfolio courses and the recognition of credits she had earned in her prior studies.

She offered advice to current students stating, “It is always worth it to finish what you started. Over-communicate with your family, professors, and boss when it comes to time management. Sometimes there may be home- or work-related priorities that your professors should know about, and sometimes you may have a more challenging upcoming week for school that your family and work can provide a little extra support.” 

Congratulations, Nancy! We are proud of your success and accomplishments. 

By April Hrabar, Assistant Dean, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Chiquita Brown graduated from the Master of Science in Education degree with a concentration in Teaching Literacy and Language in 2022.  She is currently working as an Academic Coach. 

When pursuing her degree program at Purdue Global, Chiquita could always reach out to her instructors for help.  She found that obtaining assistance from her instructors was particularly helpful in completing her degree.  She really enjoyed working with her instructors and other staff at PG.  Chiquita stated “I enjoyed the staff helping me with anything I needed within my studies.”

The advice that Chiquita would give to new students is that you must work hard, continue working hard, and never give up in order to reach your goal of graduation. She found that PG instructors are always here to support student success, particularly if you are struggling in any way.

Chiquita stated that “Purdue Global is one of the best schools!  I have learned so much to be a great educator.”  She is continuing her education at PG by enrolling in the Graduate Certificate in Addictions program. 

By Misty LaCour, Academic Department Chair, Education and Communication Department, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Edajonai Moore pursued her degree in Early Childhood Administration to help her make a difference as an educator. Edajonai’s goal is to be an administrator and this degree helped her work toward this goal. Edajonai graduated with a BS in Early Childhood Administration in April 2023.

During the completion of her degree, Edajonai juggled many things in her life. She was a parent, a spouse, and worked full-time, all while being a student at PG. She said that her key to staying on track with her degree was time management. Her family was also her support system and motivation. In talking about her kids, Edajonai said, “I was doing this in order to create a better life for them.”

While a student at PG, Edajonai also found support from peers. Through the PG Facebook page, Edajonai was able to speak with her classmates, share each other’s experience, collaborate, and help motivate each other to keep going.

The most rewarding part of her degree was graduation! This was rewarding for Edajonai for earning her degree and so much more.  Edajonai said, “my favorite experience at PG was graduation simply because it allowed you the opportunity to meet other people that were in your program that you know their name but you never really seen their face and just become closer and collaborate ideas on what’s next for you and your educational journey.” 

By Misty LaCour, Academic Department Chair, Education and Communication Department, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Ashley Oliveira graduated from the BS in Communication program in April 2021. According to Ashley, “the Bachelor’s Program at PG was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences to go through.”

“I learned about new cultures, different perspectives and points of view, which allowed me to grow as a person and be more aware of the world around me.” 

Ashley said that the program helped to build relationships with peers, particularly through the seminars and group work. Ashley found that the courses built lasting friendships, stating “we still keep the same group text from our project and check in with each other every so often.”

Ashley also found that the faculty and staff at PG were helpful in supporting success.  “The professors and staff at PG are there to support you and want to help you succeed.” When describing the time at PG, Ashley states my “PG experience is overall amazing.” 

After graduation, Ashley wanted to continue to build leadership skills and invest in education.  After research and learning that few people continue to a graduate degree, Ashley enrolled in PG’s Master of Business Administration degree program.  “Investing in my education to get the Bachelors was a great decision; investing in myself to get my MBA was allowing me to believe in myself and be able to do more for my career.”

By Misty LaCour, Academic Department Chair, Education and Communication, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Debbie Ghosh is a recent graduate of Purdue Global’s Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology in 2021. She was searching for a reputable program that would prepare her for a career shift, leaving the education space and moving towards design and creation. Debbie stated, “PG’s courses set me up to do just that. All their courses are relevant and detailed, and I felt prepared and confident when I started my role as an instructional designer.”

Debbie found it best to go through each course in the first week to see the topics for the course and prepare extra time for the weeks having more work. She suggests that students be proactive and never leave assignments until the last minute. She enjoyed the group projects, and also encourages students to meet early with groups and meet in addition to emails, since collaboration is very important for instructional designers. She learned from her classmates and used discussions to ask questions and expand her knowledge.

In class, working with professors was her favorite part of her studies. She felt they were there for her and could assist her learning and progress in each course. She never felt left out or behind in any way due to the diligence of her professors.

The experiences Debbie had at Purdue Global led to her desired career shift and she is now employed full time as a Learning Developer, eLearning Specialist for Southwest Airlines. We extend the greatest congratulations her way.

By Dena AuCoin, Academic Department Chair, Education and Communication Department, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Britney Moore is an ideal Purdue University Global student, who sought out her degree in Early Childhood Administration in order to support her career as a Family Coordinator for Kiddie Academy. Britney took advantage of the portfolio program to use her work experience and previous studies to save time and money in her degree and align her knowledge for college credit. The portfolio course and seeking university support helped her find success and she graduated in March of 2018.

Britney’s favorite part of her studies were her understanding professors and her culminating capstone work where she could see her progress and have something to take with her at the end of her degree.

The experiences Britney had at Purdue Global led her to share advice for new and current students. She stressed that students who may be struggling should not struggle in silence, but know that it is alright to reach out for help. She also wants to encourage students to keep going until the end, because with good time management, it will be worth it in the end.  Britney leads by example in using the Purdue Global support systems to complete her studies and we congratulate her on her success.

By Dena AuCoin, Academic Department Chair, Education and Communication Department, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Branka Manojlovic is a recent graduate of Purdue University Global, in the Masters of Arts in Teaching degree program. Branka felt supported by Purdue Global, where her support team worked with her to apply her prior coursework and graduate credit hours toward her degree.

Branka is like many of our Purdue Global students, she was a full-time working mother, helping to raise her family of four children. She found Purdue Global accommodating when she needed to take a short break between terms and during COVID, in order to concentrate on her work and family.  

The experiences Branka had at Purdue Global led her to success in her studies and validated her knowledge and experience as an Instructional Designer while also balancing the time she needed for her coursework. 

Branka found support in Purdue Global to recognize her previous hard work that applied toward her degree, and leveraged the support of her family as well. We congratulate her on her success.

By Dena AuCoin, Academic Department Chair, Education and Communication Department, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences 

Courtnie Medina is a model Purdue University Global student. Courtnie took advantage of the portfolio program to use her work experience to save time and money in her degree and align her professional proficiencies to petition for college credit. The portfolio course, Courtnie’s use of University tutoring services, and seeking the support of classmates helped her find success and she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Administration in April, 2021 and is a Facility Director for Child and Youth Services.

As a practicing early educator, she had to make time to read and complete her work and studies thoroughly and ensure she regularly interacted with her peers. In class, the discussions were her favorite part of her studies, where she reflected and depended on the interaction with her peers as part of her journey. Attending live seminars were sometimes a challenge for her, however, she found them to be another opportunity to gain new perspectives from faculty and peers.

The experiences Courtnie had at Purdue Global led her to share advice for new and current students. She stressed that students set clear goals and communicate often with peers and faculty. She felt that communicating with faculty helped her to alleviate stress and answer questions. She also felt that understanding struggles was important and to find ways to balance school and life in order to find success.

Courtnie is a great example of a student that utilized the University support systems to complete her studies. In her own words, “It is intense but well worth the experience at Purdue Global.”  We congratulate her on her success.

By Dena AuCoin, Academic Department Chair, Education and Communication Department, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Maria Varchetto is a celebrated Purdue University Global student. Maria was able to leverage a partnership agreement with T-Mobile, her employer, and be reimbursed for her education. Purdue Global offered her a degree aligned with her current job as a Senior Instructional Designer, a job that she loves. This partnership, and Maria’s drive, helped her balance work, life, and personal goals to find success and she graduated in February, 2021.

Pursuing her studies wasn’t easy. Maria works full-time and has three children under 5. During the last year, she worked remotely, managed her family, and continued at Purdue Global. She managed to depend on a strong support system in her family, in order to find moments to complete work. Maria shared, “I made a goal to keep going until I'm done, and now that I'm finished, I'm extremely proud!”

As a practicing instructional designer, she was able to make great connections between her daily work and in studying concepts in instructional design and technology for adults. She was able to use real work examples for assignments, and learned about in-depth business elements to apply to her work. One of her most impactful moments during her studies was an interview where she learned about large scale technology and design projects and the scope of higher level decision making. This directly affected work with her team and how she approaches problem solving.

Maria felt supported by faculty that offered quick responses and clearly stated expectations. She enjoyed the Multimedia Development and Developing Instructional Materials courses where she was able to design her own work, allowing her to be creative.

Maria is an exemplary student that set a goal, met her goal, and collaborated with her partner employer to meet it. We congratulate her on her success.

By Dena AuCoin, Academic Department Chair, Education and Communication Department, College of Social and Behavioral Sciences