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Online Learner Profiles: Jenine

Profiles of Real Online Learners

Guide to Online Education > Online Education In-Depth > Meet Real Online Students > Jenine, Master of Education in School Counseling

"I believe I have an awesome opportunity to be a voice and an advocate for those who have lost their own voice or belief," exclaims Jenine Koziolek, a 32-year-old single mother.

Which is why she's pursuing a Masters degree in Education through UMass Online, focusing on school guidance counseling.

Jenine's decision to further her education involves many factors. She wants her 4-year-old daughter to know the value of education. "I also believe it is important to take steps towards achieving my goals rather than let life pass me by always wondering if I could accomplish the goals."

One of these goals includes getting as much education as she can to be successful. One problem is that she works full-time, is a single mother and doesn't want to take too much time away from her daughter.

Her solution? Distance learning.

Jenine states, "By participating in the online program, I am allowed to challenge myself to grow, but not consume my time traveling away from what is ultimately most important, my relationship with my daughter."

She enjoys being able to work at her own pace, with a deadline in mind, yet most of it can be done without leaving her home.

When it came time to select her particular field of study, guidance counseling was an obvious choice after her work as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor in a school system. She enjoyed the work, yet she was not a school employee and there was always the threat of the federal grant being cut. She started thinking of other positions in the school system and guidance counseling seemed natural.

The criteria important to Jenine in selecting a school included making sure the school was accredited with a solid reputation.

She explains, "I selected UMass Online and the Boston campus because of the curriculum offered through the particular program I selected. I feel the 'cohort' has been a terrific way to complete my goals without being lost in the university system."

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