Ralnah Brown wasn’t looking for a career change. As a registered nurse, she helped nurses obtain national certification, but felt a calling to provide couples counseling to the Christian community and church. It was her intent to practice counseling as a side mission in addition to nursing. Either way, she would need to earn her master’s degree.
For Ralnah, attending Messiah University to earn an M.A. in counseling was an obvious choice. “I wanted a Christ-centered education to fulfill one of the callings that God has placed on my life.” With a 1-year-old and full-time nursing job, the predominantly online curriculum made earning an advanced degree possible.
“The learning experience was awesome,” said Ralnah. “It was certainly a lot of work; however, the faculty were accessible and helped me to understand the new material I was learning.” Beyond educational and professional mentorship, she appreciated the staff’s willingness to encourage students to share their struggles, issues, and frustrations and pray for them.
Since graduating, Ralnah’s mission work has turned into a full career transition from nursing to counseling.