With new skills developed at Capella University and a rejuvenated career
in human services, PhD student Barbara Hall is thriving.
As her husband’s military service drew to a close, Hall looked to jumpstart
her career. Furthering her education was the key, but the busy volunteer
and stay-at-home mother of four knew a traditional classroom setting was
simply “out of the question.”
“From my first contact with Capella, I was very pleased,” Hall says. Her
Capella enrollment counselor helped her take care of the little things—like
transcripts—she worried would hold up her application process.
Learning to thrive in a new environment
Hall knew that online learning at Capella would be convenient. But she
didn’t realize how much she’d thrive. “It really gave me the opportunity
to think and to write before I made input into the conversation,” says
Hall. The engaging conversations taking place in her courses helped her
develop knowledge and skills with a depth she hadn’t experienced in a
traditional classroom.
She was also impressed by courses with clear, real-world applications.
“What I learned at night, I applied the next day. Everything is very relevant.”
Diversity was another benefit. Her fellow learners brought a variety
of experiences and insights to the course room, which enriched the
discussion and broadened her perspective. “You cannot get the diversity
in a geographically confined classroom that you can get online,” Hall says.
New goals, new confidence
In 2007 Hall completed her Human Service master’s degree. She became
a community development director with an organization for military
servicemembers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Today Hall serves on
the Human Services Advisory Board for the Town of Chapel Hill and the
board of directors for an autism organization.
Her zeal for learning and service doesn’t end there. Hall is continuing
her education at Capella, working on a PhD, and she recently started a
consulting business in instructional design.
“My experience with Capella has given me the courage to step out in that
direction,” she says. “I’ve seen the value of the online format and the
difference it’s made in my life, and I want to share that with others.”