Online Master’s Degree Graduates Celebrate End of a Journey

For graduates of the Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology’s Online Master’s Degree Program, Friday’s Commencement was the end of one journey and the beginning of the next.

Jennifer Ellsworth, who finishes up her master’s degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology this summer, will be one of the graduates the program was designed to assist.

Having earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Minnesota, she worked in the Special Chemicals Lab before moving to Medtronic, which specializes in medical instruments, and she currently works in chemical characterization. Now, with an impending master’s degree, she can continue to pursue opportunities in the field she loves.

“This program was great for me,” said Ellsworth, who attended an end of the year reception for master’s students at the Pizza House Friday, April 26, in East Lansing with her fiancé Bryan.

“I love doing it online, especially during the pandemic,” she said. “I got to work at my own pace and if there was a problem Dr. (Isola) Brown (director of the program) was great. She was super open about things.”

Zaria Alexander, recipient of a new master’s degree in PharmTox, can now set her sights on a career as a pharmacist.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Kettering University, she considered a suggestion from the orthopedic surgeon she worked for to attend medical school.

“We met in the middle,” she said, focusing on the chance to gain her degree online. “I just liked it.”