Guide to Online Education > Online Education In-Depth > Meet Real Online Students > Amanda, Ph.D. in Human Services/Criminal Justice
Name: Amanda Bergen
Age: 26
Marital Status: Married
Advice to Others: "Learn from your classmates; they have a range of personal and work experience that you can learn from."
School: Capella University
Target: Ph.D. in Human Services/Criminal Justice, December 2007
When faced with what looked like a choice between a doctoral degree and the love of her life, Amanda Bergen forged a path that allowed her to have it all.
"My philosophy," she says, "is that there are very few situations in life where there are only two choices. The third and fourth choices are simply options yet to be considered."
This positive, can-do attitude, and the love and support of family and friends, have brought Amanda to where she is today, on the verge of taking her comprehensive exams in Human Services specializing in Criminal Justice.
Amanda has been on the fast-track to academic success her whole life.
"I am a life-long learner," she says. "I've always known that earning a Ph.D. would be one of my educational and career goals."
Her mom, who has been a steady supporter both financially and emotionally, encouraged her to prioritize her education and focus on that before starting a family.
Her path to an online doctoral program in Human Services-Criminal Justice illustrates both her love of learning and her openness to new things.
First, Amanda earned a bachelor's in business administration from Georgia State where she specialized in management. A management class on white collar crime piqued her interest, leading her to earn a master's degree in Criminal Justice from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Georgia.
At Armstrong Atlantic, Amanda needed to take some classes in public health that were only offered online.
The experience, she says, was "completely different. But I loved it!" She ended up taking four online classes while earning her master's degree.
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