Working mom finds balance studying online
Posted: August 26, 2010
by Kathryn Stroppel
Like many of SHM’s students, the majority of whom are working moms, Kenya Brown, M.H.Ed., ‘10, juggles numerous responsibilities. Mom to three girls, and researcher at a pharmaceutical research company, Brown says her online education allowed her to manage all her roles at her own convenience. She could make her own schedule, deciding when and where to study, and avoid latenight trips to the library thanks to the books and resources SHM offers online. “Everything is right at your fingertips,” she says.
Faculty, administration, and classmates, too, were just a phone call or email away. “It’s very intimate,” she says. “I didn’t feel lost in the crowd.”
Brown, who has a biology degree and worked toward her degree for two years, always wanted to earn a master’s degree. She chose health education so that she could someday teach online should she need to stay home with her daughter, who has Retts Syndrome, and help educate others who have a child with special needs.
Now that graduation is over, “It’s really exciting and a relief, but I’m ready to jump back in and go for my doctorate,” she says. “My expectations going in were a little low,” she admits, “but after the first year, I realized I had learned so much it was amazing.”
“I think it’s exciting we can provide an environment where women can do it all – and at such a quality institution,” says SHM Dean Kimberly O’Reilly, D.H.Ed., ‘08. “They get the best of both worlds and are able to put family first by doing the majority of work online and making education a priority, so their kids can see Mom putting it first and being a good role model.”