Kaitlyn鈥檚 Journey with ANU
After moving away from home in Massachusetts to build a life with her husband states away, Kaitlyn Pennington set her sights on an education that would align with her dreams for a meaningful career. With her husband鈥檚 unwavering support, she embarked on a journey to find the perfect program at the right school. Her path at ANU began in the Medical Billing and Coding program and soon transitioned to Administrative Medical Assisting, demonstrating her determination to find the best fit for her goals. Now, Kaitlyn celebrates the completion of her MBA鈥攁 remarkable culmination of hard work and dedication鈥攚hile returning to her Medical Billing and Coding program beginning to further enrich her healthcare-focused education. Inspired by the memory of her grandfather鈥檚 belief in her potential, Kaitlyn鈥檚 story is one of perseverance, passion, and the transformative power of education to build a brighter future.
When purchasing her first home in Kentucky with her husband, Kaitlyn was inspired to pursue a career in healthcare, influenced by her mother鈥檚 work in a nursing home. While working at Kentucky Medical Services Foundation, she met a coworker who was a professional medical coder, sparking her interest in the field. A quick Google search led her to ANU, where she began exploring opportunities in Medical Billing and Coding. However, after discovering her true calling, Kaitlyn鈥檚 student advisor guided her to transition into ANU鈥檚 Administrative Medical Assistant program. 鈥淚 told my husband about [the program]. He was like, 鈥渙h my god, that sounds exactly like you鈥� I ended up switching over and I really liked it,鈥� she explains. Kaitlyn even took her finals and certification exams just days after having her first son with the flexibility of our online programs. 鈥淎nd that solidified it for me that I was like, 鈥榶ou know what? If I can do all that, then I can go ahead and get my bachelor’s. I can go ahead and get my master’s.鈥� So it just gave me the push to want to continue on!鈥�
Going to school with two young children is no easy feat for any student, but Kaitlyn used her children as her motivators to keep going. What really helped her through it all was the understanding of her professors. While attending her MBA program, she had her second son while also caring for her oldest as a toddler. She was worried about having to go off camera or care for her children would affect her grades. However, 鈥淏ut Dr. Mary Tan was amazing throughout the whole time, even Dr. Dominika Falsey [too]. And I reached out to them just to let them know how appreciative I was of them, because having someone in your corner like that when you’re going through a difficult graduate degree is really important,鈥� she says.
Even more so, Kaitlyn feels incredibly grateful for Professor Rhonda Brewer. Rhonda鈥檚 guidance throughout her education helped her get through the toughest parts of her degree path. 鈥淲hen I was doing my bachelor’s program, she was pretty much my go to person for everything,鈥� she says with a smile, 鈥淚 definitely wouldn’t have been able to remain in such good spirits, I think, if it weren’t for her guidance.鈥� And with Rhonda鈥檚 encouragement, Kaitlyn knew she could earn her MBA.
鈥淎nd then I just so happened to have these other excellent professors when I was in my master’s, and that’s what made me really appreciate the school鈥� I made lifelong friends from the institution, and I had such good professors just throughout the whole process. [I feel] lucky to have been given all of the opportunities because they kind of all just fell into place for me and I just kind of branched out from there.鈥�
Kaitlyn鈥檚 grandfather is the one who motivated her to earn her education as he is the only other person in her family who earned a graduate degree. Family has always been important to her 鈥� she moved back home to be closer to her parents and in-laws after her father had a health scare 鈥� and the inspiration from her grandfather kept her going. 鈥淚 had just started going back to school and he was praising me so much. He was telling me, 鈥榶ou know what, kid? This is what I always told you. You just keep going.鈥� And the one phrase that he would always say is, 鈥榓im high and be all you can be.鈥�鈥� She reminds herself of his inspiration even after his passing by keeping a picture he kept of her on his desk with that same quote. This is the advice she would give any student looking to earn their education 鈥� from diploma to master鈥檚.
Would she recommend ANU to others? 鈥淵es, I would and yes, I already have!鈥�
