From South Korea to Purdue: A single mom’s persistent pursuit to raise her sons while earning a master’s degree
As a single mom of three boys, Dongju Lee knows how to balance a busy schedule. She built a career in human resources (HR) and corporate training while working tirelessly to raise her sons. Her professional journey has spanned multiple industries and localities — she changed careers from hospitality to HR some 30 years ago, and she moved her family from South Korea to the United States in 2019 to help her sons prepare for college. Throughout all the change, Lee stayed grounded by focusing on her family, and she forged a successful career by being willing to learn new skills whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Shortly after Lee and her sons relocated to the United States, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and Lee found herself with a little bit of free time — a rarity for her. With her boys at home and her work in a temporary lull, she started to think about going back to school for another master’s degree, this time with a focus on her current career — corporate training. That’s how Lee found Purdue University’s online master’s in corporate training and communication.
Lee had previously completed coursework in a hospitality and tourism master’s program, but she had been working in the HR field for quite some time, and she wanted to pursue a degree that fit with her current job and her future career goals. She knew Purdue had a great reputation — her oldest son was a prospective student at Purdue University— and she loved that the program was offered online, meaning she could work and complete her degree at the same time.
Learn more about Purdue’s online master’s in corporate training and communication.
“I didn’t take a lot of time to consider it,” Lee said. “It was clear the program was a great fit, so I applied and was accepted.”
Lee’s oldest son, Christopher Park, was also accepted into Purdue, and the two began their programs at the same time. Lee’s other sons were both in high school when Lee started her master’s. It was a lot to manage — Lee was working as a human resources director in the Atlanta, Georgia area, helping her oldest son begin his college career and supporting her other sons as they started thinking about their college plans. Working through a master’s program while juggling everything else sometimes felt overwhelming, but Lee had a wide network of supporters who cheered her on while she found her footing.
“My sons really supported me and understood my busy schedule, and the CEO of my company and all of my colleagues were also very supportive,” Lee said. “I had a wonderful support network.”
Throughout her master’s, Lee sought out opportunities to learn new skills and collaborate with professionals in different fields. Her program was interdisciplinary, so there were plenty of opportunities to explore new subjects, including communication — a field Lee had long been interested in.
“I was really excited to learn about communication topics like communication strategy, crisis communication and how to build communication plans,” Lee said. “My classes were amazing and taught me so much. They went beyond the basics and covered things in-depth, with a focus on actually applying new skills.”
My classes were amazing and taught me so much. They went beyond the basics and covered things in-depth, with a focus on actually applying new skills.
Dongju Lee
Purdue alumna, online Master’s in Corporate Training and Communication
By taking classes online, Lee was able to work with other professionals who brought a wide range of experiences and perspectives to the virtual classroom. Many of the people in her cohort came from a communication background, so Lee learned a lot about working in communication industries. She also completed several group projects with team members who were from all over the world, which helped her develop a global perspective on corporate training. Through frequent collaboration, Lee learned new skills and was able to apply them.
“The best way to learn is by learning from other people,” Lee said. “So it was a great learning opportunity.”
Lee’s favorite class was a course she took on crisis communication — a subject that ended up being relevant in her current job. While she was in the program, the company she works for experienced a litigation issue, and they had to figure out how to respond. With a newfound understanding of crisis communication, Lee ended up playing a critical role in developing the response, and the outcome was positive. Seeing her new skills make an impact in real-time made Lee feel sure that she was on the right track.
“I was able to use what I was learning and apply it directly,” Lee said. “That made a big impression on me, and it made me very interested in crisis communication.”
Lee and her family’s journey to graduation
Between working full time and supporting her sons, it took Lee four years to complete her master’s. But, by the time she was ready to graduate, she had a lot to celebrate. For one, her two youngest sons were now in college accomplishing their dreams — one at Purdue and the other in New York City. Plus, her oldest son, Christopher, was also graduating from Purdue and walking in the same commencement ceremony as Lee.
After four years of hard work, Lee was ecstatic about coming to Purdue and walking in the August commencement ceremony. She was also excited to celebrate with Christopher, who had been chosen to speak at the commencement ceremony as a student responder. During his speech, Christopher shared some of his mother’s story, telling the audience about her tireless dedication and perseverance in raising him and his brothers while working and going to school. He also expressed his pride in seeing her earn her master’s, a sentiment that was met with resounding applause.
Watching her son give his speech brought tears to Lee’s eyes, and it reminded her that their accomplishments were interconnected — made possible by mutual sacrifice and support. For Lee, seeing Christopher graduate from college was a long-held dream come true. And, for Christopher, being able to celebrate and share his mother’s story made his graduation an unforgettable experience.
“It was a great honor to be mentioned in my son’s speech,” said Lee. “He postponed his spring graduation to August so we could celebrate together. He got to celebrate me getting my master’s, and I got to celebrate his accomplishments too.”
Now that Lee has her master’s, she sees the future as an open door. Her confidence in her own abilities has increased, and she knows there are plenty of exciting paths out there — from moving into consulting to going back to school again for a doctorate. But first, she’s taking some time to celebrate with her family, who remind her every day that all the sacrifices she’s made are worth it.
“I’m a big believer in being a lifetime learner,” Lee said. “Purdue’s program provides a vehicle for that, no matter who you are.”
To learn more about Purdue’s online master’s in corporate training and communication, visit the program’s webpage.