Earning a Masters During a Global Crisis
The past fourteen months have been among one of the most challenging yet rewarding chapters in my life. A rollercoaster of emotions filled with hope, fear, exhaustion, stress, sense of community, success, burnout, loneliness, and everything in between. This wild ride began in February 2020, when I returned to school to earn a Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership (MSOL) from the University of Redlands. The choice to return to school was two fold. The first was to learn and overflow my toolbox with skills to be a stronger leader that will positively increase my leadership at The Wildlands Conservancy, the California 4-H Youth Development Program, and beyond. The second was that it was the right time in my life to return to school. I was financially sound with no debt, currently single with no family, and qualified for some financial assistance through work to help pay for the program. As I stepped on campus for the first time for the program orientation in mid-February,