There is a version of life many people try to plan. The right time to start. A timeline. A clear idea of how everything would unfold. Joanna Denis had a plan. She had already begun her MBA and was thinking ahead. She and her husband wanted to grow their family, carefully planning how to time it around her studies. But, then partway through the program, life didn’t follow the plan.
- Program
- Master of Business Administration
- Industry
- Education
- Current Location
- Whitby, ON
- Graduation Year
- 2025
Finding the “perfect” time
Joanna had always wanted to pursue her MBA. Working in post-secondary education, she saw firsthand how education could open doors and change the direction of someone’s life. But there were always reasons to wait.
“There’s always something. I was getting married. Buying a house. There’s a financial cost, and you’re trying to balance work and life. You start to wonder, how can I add one more thing to the plate?”
It was easy to put it off and easy to tell herself the timing wasn’t right. But over time, something shifted. She saw students returning to school, reshaping their lives, even when it wasn’t convenient.
“I started thinking, if they’re doing it, why am I not going back to school when I have the opportunity?”
With encouragement from her manager, who saw potential in her, Joanna made the decision to apply to the University of Fredericton. She became a student. Not long after, she was preparing to become a mother.
When plans changed
Joanna and her husband were considering IVF treatments, when they were surprised by a natural pregnancy. Her son arrived earlier than expected while she was still in the middle of a course, with assignments due and five more classes ahead.
It wasn’t what she had planned. There was a moment where she had to decide whether to continue.
“It was difficult. I was quite sick during my pregnancy, and finding time in the evenings to do assignments wasn’t easy. But once you stop doing something, it’s hard to get back into it. So I decided to keep going.”
Support to finish the program
When her son was born early, Joanna reached out to her professors from the hospital. The response was immediate and human. “Congratulations all around. Having that support and knowing I didn’t have to worry about deadlines was exactly what I needed to keep going.”
Through discussion, group work and shared experiences, she also built relationships with classmates.
“I've made lifelong connections. The classes are so participatory. You're getting to know everybody, which makes it extra exciting when you join the next class. Just the loveliest people, which just made it so easy to finish the program.”
She recommended the program to colleagues, and soon, others on her team began their own journeys. Two of Joanna’s coworkers are now in the same program she graduated from. “Education brings people together, and UFred has done that through this MBA.”
Education brings people together, and UFred has done that through this MBA.
Making the impossible possible
Joanna approached the program in a way that worked for her. Structure mattered, but so did flexibility.
“I needed that flexibility of the timing. I needed the structure of the specific class time, and I needed the flexibility of the payment. You're paying by the class. It wasn't an outrageous amount of money.”
It made sense for her to move forward. The online format was exactly what she needed.
“Being able to study in my own home, in my own office, and not have to waste time on a commute, made it possible for me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to do the program.”
The impact shows up in small but everyday ways. After two and a half years of online classes, for example, Joanna now always has her camera on for work calls. “I'll have people turn their camera on because my camera is on. Being able to make that connection when we're working virtually has been an unexpected benefit.”
A valuable designation
Joanna calls her experience at UFred “life changing.”
She is not planning any immediate career change because she likes her team, her boss and her company. But “I can use what I've learned to better myself in my own role now. It's such a transferable program that should I decide to change roles or industries in the future, it'll automatically help me in any efforts of job searching because it's such a valuable designation to have.”
Joanna is not held back anymore. Not by perfect timing or by whether she has the right credentials. “It's opening doors for me that wouldn't be open whether I choose to go through them or not. I get to decide at that time. But the opportunity is there.”
This sense of possibility started with Joanna’s decision to begin—and her choice to keep going.
