UOPX alumni spotlight: Jennifer Doran 

Jennifer Doran (BSHA/HM, 2013; MBA, 2018) was raised in a household that believed in the value of education. “My mother said, ‘Your education, that’s one thing that no one can take away from you,’” recalls Doran.

A number of roadblocks — including speaking English as a second language, learning disabilities and family obligations — meant it never came easy to Doran, but she persisted anyway. “There were times where I felt lost to the system, but that gave me a level of tenacity to control my journey,” she says.

While Doran’s path took her longer than she expected, she was nevertheless able to complete her bachelor’s degree — the first in her family to do so — and earn her master’s degree all while rising through the ranks at Hartford HealthCare in Connecticut, where she is now the senior director of operations and strategy. Notably, those accomplishments don’t include her personal ones. “I actually submitted my capstone [project for school] the day before I had my son,” she says with a smile. “But I always tell my colleagues that if I could do it, then so can [they].”

Here’s how Doran applied her tenacity not just to her education but also to her career, her family life and her sense of self.

Doran entered healthcare first as an administrator and manager at Hartford HealthCare. While the field was a good fit, she lacked the stability she felt she needed before she started a family. She was, for example, supplementing her income as a part-time server.

So, Doran began to explore her options. At that time, she had not finished her undergraduate degree, but she did have credits from different schools as well as tuition assistance from Hartford HealthCare. These two circumstances helped her choose University of Phoenix, where her transfer credits were accepted and where she began her educational journey in earnest.

“Before I enrolled, I learned how University of Phoenix would let me … have the flexibility and autonomy to [pursue education in my own way],” says Doran.

This appealed to Doran for more reasons than convenience. As someone who had felt left behind in normal school environments, Doran saw in UOPX the chance to develop individualized learning styles and strategies that could help her succeed. “As a unique learner, it gave me more options and it set me up for success,” she says.

In addition, Doran appreciated that she was able to connect with classmates via virtual classrooms or study sessions, even though her courses were online and asynchronous. “I could still be part of the conversation, which I was really excited about. I didn’t want to lose out on that connection,” she says.

That connection is part of why Doran continued with University of Phoenix to earn her Master of Business Administration.

Like many students at UOPX, Doran’s life didn’t stop while she was attending school. She grew her career, moving from administrator to director to senior director. She also grew her family: She and her husband bought a house, and she had two children, who are now 17 and 11. From today’s vantage point, she reflects on how her education continues to impact them, not just in terms of the opportunities it afforded her family, but in how her kids understand her: “When they see my diplomas and awards, they really see me.”

Doran grew her career at Hartford HealthCare, rising to the role of senior director of digestive health and surgery. Hers is one of the newest institutes at the organization, where Doran leads a team of more than 250 providers and 350 staff who serve more than 50 sites in Connecticut.

As a young director — not to mention the first Latina to serve as director — Doran struggled with impostor syndrome. But her colleagues provided support, stepping in and encouraging her to not doubt herself. Once again, her education helped provide both confidence as well as practical knowledge. “Being a student made me a better leader,” says Doran, citing the way she’s learned to recognize and adapt to different learning styles among her managers and staff. 

It’s an approach that continues to earn Doran respect in the workplace.

Duquette is especially impressed by Doran’s ability to cultivate a workplace culture that embodies her passion for education and professional development. “I would not have been able to thrive in my career without the immense coaching, mentoring, friendship and commitment that Jenn brings to her entire team each and every day without fail,” says Duquette. “Her education allows her to have a common ground with colleagues [and] inspires them to do more as a result.” In this way, Duquette says, Doran embodies Hartford HealthCare’s culture of lifelong learning.

Meanwhile, Doran continues to see education play a role at home. Her mother completed her own bachelor’s degree after Doran earned hers, and Doran is especially proud of her sister’s doctorate. Then there are her children. Just as her mother did for her, Doran has instilled the value of education in her own children. “They [learn] by example,” she says, “and whatever their journey will look like, education is the foundation for all of it.”

Doran also notes with pride how her son has managed to blend empathy with wisdom when it comes to classmates who might be struggling academically. “He’s said, ‘We have to be patient and give them the help they need,’” Doran recounts. “He had that empathy, and he’s more aware and kinder for it.” It’s a powerful new way to understand Doran’s mother’s recognition that education is something no one can take away from you. Empathy and support in the classroom and beyond may just be what someone needs in order to accomplish that goal and complete their education.

Just as Doran’s family continues their educational journeys, so does Doran continue to learn. “There’s no one way to be a learner, and I’m a firm believer in adult learners. There’s no expiration date.”

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