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Karyn McHale ’22 built a successful career in the business world, working her way up from the front office to become a senior project manager for a healthcare company. But when she was offered the chance to become a clinical research director at ICON, an Ireland-based pharmaceutical company, she knew it was time to finally do something she had long dreamed of: earn her college degree. 

“School had always been a pain point for me,” Karyn explains. “When I enrolled in college right after high school, it generated a lot of anxiety and I ultimately had to put it aside.” The first time around didn’t work out, but she always knew that earning a degree was a life goal—and it was becoming increasingly important to her career as she advanced in the corporate world. Now she needed to find an institution where she could leverage her real-world skills to support her educational goals. 

“Salem State made it so simple for me to translate my life experience into academic credits—and drastically reduced the time I needed to be in school,” Karyn says. The university recognized the value of her experience; furthermore, flexible remote learning options made it possible for her to pursue her education while continuing to work. “The academic experience has been incredibly rewarding. I’ve learned so much that I may even take my career in a different direction after I graduate.”