Online and Distance Education Fall Graduates are Ready to Make a Difference

December 11, 2020 Lily Theresa Scharrett Fandel

The NC State belltower against a blue and orange sky. — The NC State belltower on main campus. Photo by Marc Hall.

Fall 2020 was unlike any other semester at NC State. Online learning, hybrid teaching and modified schedules are just a few of the many changes that much of the NC State community continued to adapt to. Like the spring, COVID-19 kept us physically distanced and digitally connected.

No one was better prepared for this semester than the graduating class of the Online Pack. For years, NC State Online and Distance Education students have been plugged into their studies from across the country and around the world, preparing to transform their careers and make a difference in their communities. Their skills and expertise are needed now more than ever as we heal, rebuild and plan for a better future.

We caught up with graduates from a variety of degree and certificate programs to learn more about their journeys up until this point and where the future may take them. New jobs, long nights, quarantines and cross-country moves are just some of the events our nontraditional students balanced this semester as they worked to finish their degrees.

The graduates provided some advice for other working professionals who may be thinking about continuing their education or launching a new career.

Check out the stories below organized by college. Congratulations to #NCState20 and our Online Pack!