#globalcampus

Meet Kori Duquette, a global Wildcat in the RN to BSN program from Escanaba, Michigan. Here’s what Kori had to say about her global experience with NMU: 

Meet Christine Davis, a global Wildcat in the RN to BSN program from Escanaba, Michigan. Here’s what Christine had to say about her global experience with NMU: 

“I am really glad I chose Northern and thankful that after 20+ years I am going to have my BSN and will be graduating with my daughter in the winter! I’m very passionate about breastfeeding in my community. I belong to the Delta County Breastfeeding Coalition and have been able to collaborate with Coffective. 

Before becoming involved with these resources, I really didn’t know how much information about breastfeeding was available to our community. I wanted to make more people aware of these resources. Through my clinics, I was able to help educate families and help change the way we as nurses support families in this area. 

Meet John Zupko, an online Wildcat in the applied workplace leadership program from Grayling, Michigan. Here’s what John had to say about his global experience with Northern: 

“The program is really well organized, I can get my school work done anywhere – festivals, hotel rooms after an event, my unfinished basement at 7am on a Sunday…I really don’t have an ideal study environment. I can take this program anywhere and I can do my work when it’s right for me. I’m always on the road opening new markets. My job is very fluid. The way I manage my work/life balance is by working ahead in my schoolwork and prioritizing the workload by staying up to date on the course syllabus. Time management is key. If I know I’m going to have a hard week of travel, I adjust my schoolwork load the week beforehand - really it's just a new way of thinking how you prioritize your time and following through.”

Kevin Store (pictured far right) is the recipient of the 2019 Board of Trustees Global Campus Achievement Award and was recognized at the Leadership Recognition Banquet this past spring. He's finishing his degree in the Applied Workplace Leadership program and shared about his journey toward completing his degree:

"I have attempted to continue my education several times over the years. Each time some life-event has occurred and negatively influenced my ability to stay engaged. Last spring, after a considerable amount of personal reflection, I decided the timing was right for me to go back to school. Staying relevant in an ever-changing workforce is important and not only was this something I wanted to do, but the timing also seemed right. Just a few weeks into the summer session, my community was devastated by the 2018 Father’s Day flood. I knew my place of employment was going to have a role to play and I couldn’t help but consider how this event was going to derail my educational plans.

I determined that I wasn’t going to allow that to happen. With the support of friends and family, as well as that of my professors, I continued on with the full schedule of classes.

Macey Nault, Enrollment Data Analyst at Upper Peninsula Health Plan and student in the Applied Workplace Leadership program shares some advice and encouragement for those considering starting an online program:

"I was a little hesitant at first because the program wasn’t going to be an in-person experience but it has been really beneficial having this program online because of the flexibility. Professors really encourage engagement so you don’t feel like you’re missing out on an in-class experience.

“My husband and 13-year-old daughter have been my two biggest supporters. This has been a team effort. We have a 3 1/2-year-old daughter and another that will be two in April. Every time I had a project, assignment or exam to complete, my husband and oldest daughter would take the two youngest on a bike ride or to the mall for a while so that I could focus.

My other big supporters have been Luanne Thurston and Katie Menard. Day or night, if I had any questions or needed their input all I had to do was email, call or text. They made this a very easy transition and helped guide me toward success not only in my classes but in my career path for nursing education.

My husband graduated with his Master's from NMU in 2000 and visits Marquette every chance he gets. In December 2017, he was reading his NMU alumni newsletter and noticed that the nursing department started an online program. He told me to apply and three weeks later, I was starting classes. Now I am finally graduating with my BSN. This is a stepping stone. I plan to continue on for my MSN so that I can go into nursing education for the rest of my nursing career.”

“A lot of the case studies and courses I’m taking go hand in hand with what I see every day taking care of patients. I can relate to what’s going on. I’m taking an advanced hematology class and one of the case studies was about a patient that had anemia. We had to diagnose what type of anemia they had based on the clinical history that the patient presented. I just had a patient that came in with this; sure enough, the lesson went hand in hand with what I saw at work. 

I was supposed to start the program last fall and I ended up not starting because I was so scared I wasn’t going to be able to handle it. Finally, when winter semester rolled around I said: “you know what, I’m just going to bite the bullet and do it and if I don’t succeed this first semester, then it’s not for me.” And I’ve ended up loving online learning - I’m actually upset with myself for not starting sooner. Really, you’re not going to be doing this for the rest of your life. You’re just taking a couple years to give yourself a better opportunity.”