Another academic year begins, and SDSU Online students are back in action. Studying online at their convenience from across the country, our students balance classes, full-time careers, families, and other time-consuming obligations.
We caught up with one new and one returning student to get an update on their journeys as the semester begins. We asked about their goals, inspirations, and potential roadblocks along the way.
Masters of Public Health Student Joel Siapno
Meet Joel Siapno. His long-term dedication to improving school health services through accessibility and equity brought him back to school this fall with SDSU Online, as he pursues a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science.
A highly motivated professional, juggling running a company, being a present husband, and training for a half-marathon, doesn’t stop him from taking on a full course load to stride towards his goal of helping students reach their full potential.
We asked Joel about his motivations, goals, and his plan to juggle it all as he embarks on this new journey.
Q: What motivated you to return to college, and why did you choose now to resume your academic journey in your chosen program?
A: Working in school health has given me questions I want to do more than wonder about. What happens after a student fails a hearing or vision screening? Do they receive the care they need? How can we make our services more effective? Pursuing a Master of Public Health felt like the next step toward learning how to answer those questions and putting that knowledge to work.
Q: What are your academic, career, or personal goals, and how do you hope this program will help you achieve them?
A: Academically, I want to see how far this goes. Right now, that’s the MPH. A doctorate is on the table, but I want to finish this one well before I make that call.
Professionally, I want to help raise the standard for evidence-based school health. Hearing and vision screening is where my head is – who we screen, what we actually find, and what happens after. I’d like to contribute research that schools can use, not just research that gets published.
I also want to build more ways into school health work, for nurses and for unlicensed school health staff. There are people looking for meaningful work who aren’t in a position to commit to four years of school. I’d like to help create real paths for them – skills, a career, students they’re genuinely helping.
Personally, I want to own a home and I want to keep seeing the world. The Himalayas are on the list. So is driving from Alaska to South America, the whole way. It comes from the same place as going back to school, honestly. I want to know what I’m capable of.
Q: What are you most looking forward to this semester?
A: Learning. I’m curious by nature but I’ve never had a real framework for the questions my work throws at me.
What I’m looking forward to most is the overlap – that moment when something in a lecture lines up with something I watched happen in a school health office. Or meeting people who have the same interests as me. These are the things I want to bring back to my team and life and turn them into something I actually do differently.
Q: What challenges do you think you’ll face?
A: Time. I’m running a company, carrying a full course load, trying to be a present husband, and training for a half marathon with my older brother. Something has to give, and I’d rather choose what than find out.
The other one is rebuilding academic habits after time away. I have big ideas and I want to move on them now. Graduate school keeps reminding me I need the foundation first. I’m working on being patient with that.
Q: How do you see your program impacting your long-term personal and professional goals?
A: I want to get better at turning what I see in the field into something defensible. Noticing a pattern is the easy part. Knowing whether it’s real, understanding what it doesn’t prove, and being able to explain it to somebody else is the hard part – that’s what I’m here for.
Long term, I want that work to make school health services better and pull more people into this field. I also want to be a better leader. I want to build a place where people like their coworkers, take pride in the work, and have fun doing it. Knowing their work helps students reach their potential would make it mean something.
Q: You’re juggling many roles (parent, spouse, boss, employee, student, etc.); what’s your plan to juggle it all?
A: Being intentional and protecting the routines that keep me steady. The mornings are mine. I stack meetings and calls between 10 and 2 when I can, so the rest of the day stays workable.
What actually recharges me is simple – walking my dog at sunrise and sunset, eating well, time with my wife. Study time gets that same protection. It goes on the calendar like everything else. I’ll have to adjust as I go but boundaries are what lets me give each part of my life something real instead of leftovers.
Q: What advice would you give to other students debating whether to resume their education?
A: Ask yourself whether you’d regret not trying. I don’t think going back is right for everybody. It depends on your goals and what your life looks like right now. But if there’s a curiosity you keep circling back to – that deserves your attention. A lot of my decisions come down to how I want to look back on this. Going back to school was me making sure I gave myself the best shot at life. Nobody else can tell you what that looks like for you.
Masters in Meeting and Event Management Student Christopher Dela Cruz
Christopher holds over a decade of experience in the event management industry, but his commitment to personal and professional growth has brought him back to the classroom.
He is now entering his second year with greater confidence, time management, and a better understanding of all he’s capable of, all while managing his coursework, a full-time career, and other professional endeavors.
We asked Christopher about his journey throughout his program, his successes, and improvements going into his final year.
What are you most excited about this upcoming year?
A: Besides the obvious excitement of graduating, I am most excited about our Capstone project. It feels like this is what we have been working toward from the very beginning, taking everything we have learned and applying it to something meaningful in the real world. For me, I am especially excited to continue exploring the intersection of AI, event management, efficiency, and the event professional experience.
Going into my first year, I was excited, nervous, anxious, and honestly had no idea what to expect. I was trying to figure out how to balance work, school, personal life, and a brain that constantly felt like it was on overdrive. Going into year two feels completely different. I have more confidence, stronger foundational skills, and a much better understanding of what I am capable of. The first year also challenged me to evaluate what I wanted professionally. I ultimately made a career change into an opportunity that better aligns with where I want to grow, which reinforced that sometimes growth means being willing to make a change. I am excited to see how much more can happen during this final year.
What might you do differently this year from your first year?
A: I would collaborate more with my cohort. We received a friendly reminder halfway through the program that we are not doing this alone, and there is tremendous value in connecting with people who are experiencing many of the same challenges, wins, and growing pains.
I would also be much more intentional about planning my time. During my first year, there were weeks when I was figuring out my school, work, and personal schedule day by day. This year, I want to approach it with a true strategy and build school into my schedule instead of fitting it in around everything else. One of the biggest lessons from this program has been that what we are learning does not only make us better event professionals. The leadership, communication, and decision-making skills we are developing have also made an impact on how I approach my personal life.
Do you have any advice for others just beginning to embark on their journey with SDSU Global Online?
A: The unknown can be scary, and you may be nervous going into it, but use that energy to push yourself toward something great. You truly do not know what you are capable of until you try, and you may surprise yourself with how much you can accomplish. Connect with your cohort, build relationships, ask questions, and take advantage of the support system around you. Most importantly, if an opportunity scares you a little, do it anyway. Push yourself outside of your comfort zone. When we started the program, we were told that this experience could be life-changing. Halfway through, I can confidently say that my life has changed for the better in more ways than I expected. So connect, network, take the chance, and enjoy the journey.
