Learner Stories: Carol Young
Neonatal Nurse, Memorial Herman Healthcare System
 
Going the distance — running a marathon and pursuing an online degree
When Carol Young, a neonatal nurse from Houston, made up her mind to "get off the couch" and revitalize her life, she wasn't thinking about spending more time in the garden. She set her sights high and decided to run a marathon. Though she was 54 years old at the time and had never been an athlete per se, Young responded to an ad promoting a marathon in Dublin, Ireland, in October 2001. Six months after she started training, she joined 3,000 Americans and 2,700 Irish citizens in her first marathon.
Since then, she has run 11 more marathons and finished every one.
"I have to set big goals to carry them through. If I set little goals, I'll just put them off until tomorrow," she says. "If it had been just a 5K, I think I would have put off training and never gotten around to it."
At the same time she began distance running, Young set her sights on a second goal and began an online doctoral degree program in organization and management
at Capella University.
"I believe there is a huge correlation between deciding to start running marathons and pursuing a PhD at Capella," she says. "You might say that first marathon helped 'kick start' the process. I had more confidence in myself that I could accomplish big goals that required commitment and endurance. And at age 55, I needed to get started if I intended to finish in a reasonable time and reap the benefits."
For Young, Capella's focus on online education proved to be the perfect fit. She continued to work full time as a neonatal nurse,
continued training for the next marathon, and worked her way toward her PhD.
"My first marathon, when I crossed the finish line, it was such a high. Receiving my diploma from Capella...it is the same feeling."
Harold Abel School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Psychology General
School of Business and Technology
General Organization and Management
Human Resource Management
Information Assurance and Security
Information Technology Management
Leadership
School of Education
Instructional Design for Online Learning
Leadership for Higher Education
Nursing Education
Postsecondary and Adult Education
Training and Performance Improvement
School of Public Service Leadership
Multidisciplinary Human Services
Harold Abel School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Clinical Psychology
Counseling Psychology
General Mental Health Counseling
General School Counseling
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
School of Business and Technology
Finance
General Business Administration
General Human Resource Management
General Information Technology
Health Care Management
Information Technology - Project Management
Marketing
Leadership
School of Education
Instructional Design for Online Learning
Leadership in Educational Administration
Professional Studies in Education
Reading and Literacy
Training and Performance Improvement
School of Public Service Leadership
Criminal Justice
Health Care Administration
Social and Community Services
School of Undergraduate Studies
Business Administration
General Information Technology
Management and Leadership
Marketing
Network Technology
Project Management
Some programs or specializations may no longer be offered, or may have a different name. Learn about current offerings relevant to your field by contacting an enrollment counselor at 1.866.679.9678.
|
Learning & Career Outcomes
|