An online program can be daunting since there are few in-person interactions with classmates and instructors, but for Julia Lienhard and Serafina Maerten, fall 2022 graduates from the Data Marketing Communications program, embracing the online learning environment didn’t mean going through the program alone.
The two graduates shared the Introduction to Data Marketing Communications course together, and after the very first assignment, Serafina messaged Julia on Instagram to introduce herself with the hope of gaining a friend in the program.
“I did one project on my own and thought there was no one to talk to about this. I was kind of lonely, and I thrive better with a team, so I found her on Instagram and we became friends,” said Serafina. “What really helped me get through this program was having a friend. It’s why I messaged her in the first place.”
After a few months, Serafina and Julia began sharing more than just tips and insights into their readings and assignments. They began reading books together and calling one another to talk about the material, sharing documentary and podcast recommendations, and eventually ran a 10k in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, together. Their friendship has evolved beyond the program and made its way into their professional and personal lives, too.
“I think Serafina and I will always be friends. I also foresee our relationship continuing to evolve as we go our own, separate ways and start our own career paths. She became such a pillar of support for me that now she’s one of the first people I would call if I were struggling with something and needed advice or if I were celebrating and wanted to share the excitement with her,” said Julia. “We really became cheerleaders for each other, and there’s longevity there.”
The pair graduated together in 2022 and credits their motivation to succeed to the friendship they found with one another. Both are independent learners and self-starters, and they used one another as benchmarks for completing work and remaining on task. Any feelings of procrastination or burnout were curbed after speaking to one another about anything they were struggling with in the program and in life.
I think what made all the difference for us was the level of communication and collaboration that we had throughout the program. That made all the difference in terms of the richness of the online learning experience. JULIA LIENHARD
“I think what made all the difference for us was the level of communication and collaboration that we had throughout the program. That made all the difference in terms of the richness of the online learning experience. As we became closer, we essentially agreed to become learning partners for each other. Not only for the program, but for everything else we were experiencing in our own separate lives,” said Julia. “Any sort of big revelation or ‘aha’ moment, we were that person for each other. Our connection really transcended the online learning experience, and to me, we really created the epitome of the holistic learning experience.”
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