Complete a Master's degree.

“I just completed my Master's in History. I defended it over Zoom last month and it passed with minor revisions. But with the pandemic, I never walked, and I never again saw my committee in person once everything was set in place. Then I moved to my parent's home to start looking for a job, and to be honest I was in a bit of a low place since I didn't get into any of the Ph.D. programs I applied to and the economy is trash for job hunting. Everything was just kind of over and I didn't really know how to process it. But in the mail today I received a new copy of a book I had used heavily in my thesis as a congratulations for passing and earning my degree. It was just that one symbol of acknowledgment that everything I had done was real and worth it and I deserved my degree, despite the uncertain future. I broke down into tears for almost 15 minutes. It was extremely cathartic.”

“Now that exams are finished and we are approaching the end of postgraduate courses, I have been feeling very reflective on having almost completed a Master's Degree, in almost complete isolation. When friends and family have asked about my course, I usually give a vague and brief update on how strange it is, but you get used to learning by yourself. In all honesty, when I applied for my course, this was not at all how I expected it to go. [...] I still haven't met any of my lecturers in-person - graduation might be the first and only opportunity I get for that. And even though it has been a real adjustment and a challenge at times, this year has flown by and it feels strange to be coming to a close.”

“To be honest, there was some hesitancy and doubt. It was going to be my first time going back to school in 4 years. After traveling often and living that unconventional millennial lifestyle, I was unsure as to how I would adjust back to the “college life.” However, I had to thank my professor and peers for making me feel so welcomed and valued since Day 1. I initially didn’t give myself a timeline – nor did I even expect to actually complete the graduate program. I just wanted to see if I was capable of dealing with the “school routine” after years of being away from it all. For the most part, I adjusted pretty well. I would almost describe the feeling of being in college again to driving a car – I had the “muscle memory” of mentally placing myself as a student, like how you would know when to press the gas and brake pedals on the road. It was a relief for me to realize how much I still got that drive in me to succeed.”