Global Campus Online Learning Empowers Working Students  

One of the greatest challenges facing adult learners today is balancing their professional commitments with their educational goals. Jessica Schorr, a WSU Global Campus student now finishing her undergraduate degree in the humanities, knows this as well as anyone.  

When she’s not studying, Schorr works full time at Sacramento, California’s Fairytale Town, an interactive park that brings beloved nursery rhymes and fairy tales to life for families to enjoy. There, she runs the Story Center, a designated place for children to explore new stories, create their own, and bring them all to life. Schorr also researches, orders, and spotlights new books to feature. She champions recent children’s literature, saying that the works that first inspired Fairytale Town are “wonderful stories,” but “there’s so much more to what children are going through now and need to see represented.” For this reason, she takes it upon herself to bring in a greater variety of stories in which children can see themselves, their families, and their experiences represented in a positive light.  

Schorr’s passion for creative expression stretches back for years. Before she began her current job at Fairytale Town this past May, she worked for a decade managing and choreographing youth musical theatre. As a student at Global Campus, she’s managed to incorporate these interests and values into her path of study; the degree she is pursuing is multi-faceted, with three concentrations in anthropology, music, and English simultaneously. Once she graduates this winter, she will go on to Johns Hopkins Global for a master’s degree, which she hopes will prepare her for a career with Broadway Sacramento, a theatre company widely regarded as “the Broadway of the West Coast.”  

Despite Schorr’s impeccable drive, her journey to academic success has not always been so smooth. For one, there were geographic limitations; she knew she wanted to study with a Washington college like she did for her associate’s degree, but she couldn’t simply “pick up her life and move back.” Then, of course, there was the matter of time and being able to balance both her work and her studies; while traditional students at brick-and-mortar institutions often have blocks of time carved out for them, learners like Schorr must carefully manage and navigate packed schedules by themselves, something that can prove especially overwhelming.  

Because of Global, I could go to the school that I wanted despite the physical barriers.

Jessica Schorr

Fortunately, the flexibility offered by WSU Global Campus helped Schorr overcome some of these hurdles. “Because of Global,” she says, “I could go to the school that I wanted despite the physical barriers.” In reference to the challenges of managing her time, Schorr speaks to the many benefits of an asynchronous learning model and how it allows her to plan around her packed schedule. “Sometimes,” she says, “I’m [doing coursework] at 9:00 a.m., sometimes 9:00 p.m., sometimes at work when things are slow. It’s the hardest and best thing.” With her schedule changing daily, she’s learned that the key to staying on track is writing everything down. 

Though she acknowledges how easy it is to doubt oneself or feel daunted by the idea of going back to school later in life, Schorr, now 42, encourages prospective learners to take the plunge and consider an online degree program through Global Campus. She describes being overwhelmed herself when she first began her coursework, as online learning had undergone a significant transformation since she graduated with her associate’s degree in 2011. As an older student, too, she struggled with imposter syndrome. Despite this, however, her own determination to succeed won out, and she was able to take advantage of Global Campus’ course structure to get the most of out her educational experience. WSU Global Campus also offers plenty of resources to help students thrive, including virtual career advising, etutoring, and accommodations for students with disabilities and health concerns. Intimidating as it was to begin the process, Schorr wants to assure others that “once you get the hang of everything, it does become simple.”  

Schorr’s academic, professional, and creative accomplishments have made her a formidable asset to her communities. Soon, she will be regarded as an alumna of great esteem, a living testament to the limitless opportunities for success made possible through programs available through WSU Global Campus.  

About the Author

Emma Seckington is a writer for WSU Global Campus, working alongside the Marketing and Communications team to spotlight the unique accomplishments of Global Campus students, faculty, and alumni.