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Showed me what I could achieve with my degree.

Because I had an associate degree, I was able to get my Bachelor of Science in Health Management in 18 months through the accelerated Fast Track program. While in the program, I met Daniel Warren, who had worked at Mass General Hospital and Boston Medical Center. He represented just one of the many classmates who’ve helped me see the career opportunities in my field.

Gave me the chance to grow in my position and career.

After I completed my bachelor’s degree, I got an administrative job at a life science company near Boston. I worked in R&D and helped the team process invoices and manage the office. The project manager took me under her wing and showed me how, with a little more training, I could leverage my natural aptitude for organization into a more lucrative career, and encouraged me to get my master’s degree in project management.

Connected what I was learning in class to my day job.

Connie was one of those teachers who left a big impression on me. As an assistant academic specialist at Northeastern, she brought so much experience to the classroom having provided project management consulting services for over 30 years to companies like Liberty Mutual, Nationwide, Cambridge Health Alliance, ECC, and L.L.Bean. And she had a wealth of examples to share, too—many of which were relevant to my own job.

Keeping projects on track and within regulations.

During my master’s program, I took coursework that was developed hand-in-hand with partners such as Massachusetts General Hospital. Northeastern can develop, implement, and adapt programs like the Master of Science in Project Management with a concentration in Clinical Trial Design to bring real-life experiences into the classroom. MGH provided actual case studies and guest lecturers with deep experience in this particular area.

Continues to share ideas within the discipline.

Julio and I met early on in one of our required classes. He had a lot of impressive experience already from his time at Procter & Gamble and working for a major mining company in his native Colombia. Julio works at PMA as project manager for power transmission and distribution. Former classmates like Julio help keep me informed of developments and trends in the area of project management.

Encouraged me to become a teacher.

In high school, I worked for an organization supporting at-risk youth in Boston. Through that experience, I realized teaching was my passion—particularly, advocating for underserved students. I loved seeing kids’ faces light up when they learned something new and wanted to keep making an impact on my community.

Illustrated what happens when you aim high.

I’m inspired by people who believe they can make a difference and work hard to achieve that change. Dr. Moseley is one of those people. He’s been an educator for more than 18 years, first as a science teacher and now as executive director of a charter school that’s improving math, engineering, and science studies for urban youth. Seeing what he accomplished while earning his Doctor of Education at Northeastern inspired me to rethink how we’re supporting the next generation of learners in my community.

Let me put my coursework into practice.

In my current role at Boston Public Schools, I’m trying to think of new ways to help serve at-risk youth. The work is letting me have that impact on my community I was hoping for, while also informing the thesis for my Doctor of Education. With each course, I’m picking up new research methods, insights, and tools I can use to improve my day-to-day work—and children’s education in the process.

Accelerated my learning at the summer residency.

While working on my Doctor of Education, more than 300 students and faculty gathered in Boston for a week of discussions, presentations, workshops, and group activities. The summer residency is a program requirement—and for good reason. It gave me the opportunity to network with my peers, cohort, and professors face-to-face and share insights and ideas. My thesis also improved, because I was able to bounce concepts off my classmates and learn from their experiences.

Helped me craft and improve my thesis.

Dr. Thompson served as my dissertation chair, and supported me every step of the way. Her background in culture, diversity, and multicultural education helped inform my thesis; she asked me questions I hadn’t thought through before and shared research with me that helped take my thesis to the next level. When it came time to defend my dissertation, she made me feel confident that I was ready.

Opened my eyes to new career opportunities.

I spent my first few years out of school working as a reporter, and saw firsthand the need for more data-driven journalists. I came across Northeastern’s analytics bootcamp Level and decided to enroll. It gave me the eight-week crash course in data I needed—but also immersed me in Seattle’s startup community, inspiring me to consider a computer science degree and a career in tech.

Represented the ideal Northeastern ALIGN student.

I first heard about Kaleigh when I was researching Northeastern’s Computer Science program. Like me, she didn’t have a background in IT, but wanted to take advantage of a growing job market. I followed her lead and enrolled in Seattle ALIGN—where companies like Amazon, PayPal, and Microsoft are based—and got the support I needed to move from journalism to a future building the next Slack or Spotify.

Brought industry expertise into the classroom.

When Bruce isn’t teaching at Northeastern’s Seattle campus, he’s working at Google, building the company’s enterprise data warehouse, BigQuery. Although we initially bonded over our shared passion for analytics, the real-world examples he brought into the classroom were what opened my eyes to new opportunities in the software industry and helped me rethink where I should take my career.

Gave me hands-on experience at an industry-leading company.

While pursuing my master’s degree in computer science, I was able to complete a project for Amazon. Not only did the opportunity let me plug in to one of the world’s most influential tech companies, but also apply what I learned in the classroom to a real-world problem Amazon was facing.

Reminded me to "think different."

It’s hard not to notice the influence Apple founder Steve Jobs had on the world. Everywhere you look, someone is holding an iPhone, wearing an Apple Watch, or working on a MacBook Pro. He introduced microcomputers to the general public, revolutionized how we communicate, and reminded us, "The people who are crazy enough to change the world are the ones who do."

Sparked my interest in information technology.

When I was younger, I used to love taking things apart to see how they work. That curiosity stayed with me all throughout high school, but I wasn’t sure how to turn my passion into a career. I enrolled in an associate degree program to explore my options and, after a few IT courses, knew that’s the path I wanted to pursue. Northeastern’s accelerated Bachelor of Science in IT program accepted my credits—allowing me to fast track my future.

Solidified my decision to enroll in Northeastern.

Northeastern partners with industry-leading companies like Raytheon and Cisco to develop its curriculum; it’s actually why I chose to come to the university. By working with experts in the field, my professors were able to develop coursework and instill skills they knew employers were looking for. I enrolled in Northeastern confident that I would graduate prepared to take the next step in my career.

Opened my eyes to new career opportunities.

Prior to becoming a professor, Dr. Hodgson worked as a corporate consultant, strategic planner, and business-planning analyst for a variety of big-name brands. Her experience in the field helped highlight all the different career opportunities available to me—which she coached me through as I was trying to complete my bachelor’s degree and figure out where to take my career.

Let me get real-world, hands-on experience.

Northeastern provided me with opportunities to take what I was learning in the classroom and apply it to real-world scenarios. For example, an area fishing shop that offered supplies and kayak and Jet Ski rentals needed a website. Not only was I able to build the site for them, but also developed a comprehensive system technology infrastructure that helped the business handle online transactions and thrive in today’s digital environment.

Inspired me to continue chasing my dreams.

Carla has more than 20 years of IT experience, most recently as a business systems analyst manager at athenahealth—and all without her bachelor’s degree. She’s now in my program completing her degree, and her story has inspired me. She’s never stopped pursuing her passions and has set such a strong example for her two kids. I know there’s no dream too big thanks to people like Carla in my network.