Starting My Ph.D Journey!

In February of this year I hesitantly shared out my personal statement as part of my application to the University of Regina. After graduating with my M.Ed in the spring of 2018 I was sitting on my largest absence from formal education and I knew that I needed a change. Prior to this jump I had explored the idea of pursuing a second M.Ed as the requirement for first year residency for a Ph.D seemed unattainable for me due to the age of my children and our proximity to institutions. However, the Covid-19 pandemic had resulted in online classes which made the exploration of a Ph.D route more attainable.

The journey from there can only be described as a whirlwind. I was incredibly fortunate to be accepted by Dr. Alec Couros which meant that not only did I have a supervisor to vouch for my application but I could potentially be working with a leader in the ed tech realm! However, due to a clerical error this was not communicated to the admissions department which lead to an initial application rejection. After I composed my emotions I reached out to Dr. Couros to thank him for his support and I am so thankful that I did as he quickly identified that an error had been made. After a few arduous days I received my official acceptance letter and then the planning really started!

As the summer progressed, and vaccine availability increased, courses then moved to in-person rather than online. As I am 4hrs away from U of R this threw a significant curveball in my planning. Do I defer my admission? If I do, would Dr. Couros still be available in the future? Would I push myself to go back later on?

After a lot of serious consideration and discussions with both family and work I decided to commit to the weekly commute. I am very lucky to have an incredibly supportive network who is always there to cheer me on through these journeys and this has been no exception. September 2 was my first official class on campus and I can’t wait to see where this adventure takes me!