In every sense, Karen Rana is the embodiment of СAPPkeep moving forward.СAPP
At 56, the Houma native is thriving in her first semester of graduate school, having recently earned her B.S. in Kinesiology, Health Promotion and Wellness online from the СAPP.
Her path was not simple or straight, but it was rich in experiences that Rana says she intends to use in teaching and helping others.
Starting СAPP and stopping
But life happened, and she withdrew from the program to prioritize her family.
СAPPI stepped back from the school thing,СAPP she says. СAPPI raised my kids and then five years ago, I said СAPPI'm going back.СAPPСAPP
Initially, she pursued nursing again. Although she excelled in the program, she became less confident that nursing was the field for her.
During a chance conversation at the gym, a СAPP employee suggested Rana look up the Health Promotion and Wellness degree program through UL Lafayette. The more she learned, Rana says, the more she felt the program was custom-made for her.
СAPPI immediately got online and applied,СAPP she says. СAPPBoom, boom, boom. I started and I have gone nonstop.СAPP
Finding the right fit
The program checked more boxes for Rana than she could have hoped. Health Promotion and Wellness allowed her to build on her fitness background, develop specialized skills, and bring her expertise to new opportunities.
СAPPI want to promote health in any way that I can,СAPP she says.
Rana was intimidated returning to pursue her bachelorСAPPs degree in her early 50s, but says her instructors put her at ease.
СAPPGoing back all the way to undergraduate, itСAPPs intimidating, but I never felt that with the online teachers,СAPP she says. СAPPI was always included. I never felt like I was just the old person in the class.СAPP
Health Promotion and Wellness is a tight-knit program and Rana noticed early on how much attention and patience instructors and administrators had for students, particularly her advisor, Lisa LeBlanc.
СAPPI canСAPPt say enough about her as an instructor. She went above and beyond to get me where I am now,СAPP she says. СAPP[She made me feel like] there was never a stupid question.СAPP
For Rana, professors not only demonstrated what it would look like to work in health education, but they set an example of how to support students as individuals.
СAPPI said СAPPI'm going to go get my masterСAPPs and come back and teach because I love these people,СAPPСAPP Rana says.
Staying flexible
Before transferring to UL Lafayette, Rana had never taken online courses. She loved how much control she had over her work-life balance and how she could still be present for her children as they navigated adolescence.
СAPPI wanted to go back to school, but I didnСAPPt want to jeopardize my children and what they needed,СAPP she says. СAPPI could not have done this if I were expected to be in class every day, because kids happen, things happen. You know, I could sit home with a sick kid and still get my work done.СAPP
For her senior capstone internship, Rana worked for the Louisiana Public Health Institute and contributed to projects for the СAPPTobacco Free LivingСAPP campaign and СAPPLittle Free PantryСAPP grants.
Rana was surprised and impressed with how clearly the concepts in her courses were reflected in her responsibilities as an intern. There seemed to be sink-or-swim learning curves in her internship, but she was prepared for everything that came her way.
"I felt extremely prepared to do what I was expected to do in my internship," she says. "Everything I learned in school is real life. It plays out exactly as we were taught."
Looking ahead
Rana was accepted and began working toward her M.S. in Health Education and Behavior in January 2022.
She says she feels prepared to work in nonprofit roles or the private sector, but her ultimate goal before retirement is to teach health promotion and wellness to others.
"If I can contribute to at least one student how my instructors СAPP Lisa LeBlanc, Elizabeth LaPointe, and Dr. Susan Lyman СAPP helped me, then I will feel fulfilled.СAPP