More Than a Master's...

My connection to The Graduate Institute is one that was years in the making.  I can recall being made aware of TGI over a decade ago (circa 2006), while finishing my undergraduate degree at Central Connecticut State University, where the desire to continue my education was low, but my interest in human optimization was just beginning to blossom.  While the prospect of pursuing my master’s degree was on the table, I really did not have the desire to jump right back into a program after graduation, but there were many of my peers who did and I distinctly remember TGI’s course curriculum and schedule being very appealing.  In the years that followed, as I began my career as a public high school teacher, I started to take a closer look at TGI and discovered that it was such an appealing environment and the Integrative Health and Healing program was something I needed to experience. In 2013, I started taking the necessary steps toward enrollment but found great difficulty in securing the finances to do so.  Over the next three years, I would apply for financial aid and stay in contact with TGI, attending multiple open houses at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford to express my interest in the IHH program and explore my options. In August of 2016, which I jokingly consider the “11th hour” of my efforts toward enrollment, I was finally able to achieve the necessary resources to become a member of the TGI family and thus started my transformational journey.  

Technically, I was in need of a degree to advance my career as a professional educator, but experientially, I was looking for a one-of-a-kind program that would reignite my passion as a lifelong learner.  Fortunately for me, I had to look no further than The Graduate Institute.

The IHH program was, and continues to be of immeasurable value to my “self”, my family, colleagues and students alike.  I am inspired by the concepts that I continue to share with them, as well as the conversations that I engage them in. The one-of-a-kind presentations I’ve attended and participated in, along with the esteemed and highly-decorated practitioners “championing” holistic health I’ve had the privilege of meeting, is an experience that I will not only never forget, but will forever hold extremely close to my heart.

As someone who's risen through the ranks of the American education system, I know how challenging it can be to find the inspiration and opportunity to express yourself genuinely and be received with open minds and hearts. I don’t know if there’s enough time in the world for me to express my gratitude for the people I've come to know and love at The Graduate Institute, who have created an environment where this is possible. The sense of freedom and acceptance here is unmatched.

There are many educational options out there, but I can say with complete confidence that very few programs that I am aware of that are providing the extremely valuable and equally enjoyable experience offered at TGI. What's happening here is truly transformational in the best sense of the word.

I am truly grateful for the experience I've had with TGI as a student, and I know that what I've learned here and the people I've connected with will forever be a part of my life.  I’ve gained so much more than a master's degree!

My TGI Tribe! The 2018 graduating class of The Integrative Health and Healing Master’s Degree Program.