Kiera moved often as a child, and every move cost her something. Possessions she valued disappeared along the way. That history shaped how she thinks about her degree.

"Earning my education gave me something no one and no circumstance can ever take away from me."

She enrolled with Future Forward CT and SNHU for two reasons at once. As a mother, she wanted her children to grow up without the weight of being the first in the family to break the mold. And professionally, she knew a degree would give her the credibility and leadership skills to do the work she cares about.

Before she started, the hardest part was believing it was possible at all. Work, motherhood, and daily life kept filling the space where school might have gone, and there was always someone else who needed her attention first. "I wasn't sure where to begin or if I could realistically succeed," she says. What changed was having a team behind her rather than a process to navigate alone, and a schedule flexible enough that she never had to choose between her education and her family.

Writing as a Tool

The skill that mattered most turned out to be writing. Kiera learned to organize complex ideas, argue from evidence, and communicate with clarity, and that work shows up directly in her job today. She founded a domestic violence shelter, and the grant applications, proposals, and organizational documents she writes for it carry the same structured, research-driven approach she developed in her coursework.

The program also changed how she approaches problems. Rather than reaching for the first solution, she learned to examine an issue from several angles before deciding how to move.

Finishing What She Started

Kiera earned both her associate and bachelor's degrees, exactly as she had promised herself she would when she enrolled. "I never wavered from that commitment," she says.

What she did not expect was the community. Her academic advisor, Bibi, celebrated every milestone with her and was there whenever she needed support. Her classmates, though she only ever met them virtually, became a real source of encouragement. And a mental health forum hosted by Attallah gave her a space to be honest with people going through the same thing, which reminded her that success is about more than coursework.

What Comes Next

Kiera has been accepted to Johns Hopkins University for a master's in Nonprofit Management, with law school and doctoral work ahead. Her aim is to work as both an attorney and a researcher, representing survivors of domestic violence in court while shaping the policies and systems that affect their lives.

"Every degree I earn builds on the one before it."

Her Advice

Take the leap, she says. Stay connected, show up to the forums, and lean on your advisors, because they genuinely want you to succeed. Set goals that are realistic and meaningful to you, and resist comparing your pace to anyone else's.

The one thing she would tell her past self is gentler than that.

"Enjoy the journey as much as the destination. I was so focused on reaching my goals that I didn't always take the time to appreciate how much I was growing along the way."

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