Everyday life for Amy Burrows includes a lot of strategy and preparation – and that’s before she even begins to delve into her weekly homework assignments.
That’s because home for Burrows is a remote part of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in a cabin that is powered by solar panels. Connectivity comes in the form of 50 gigs per month that Burrows pays for to help her complete her classes for the Strategic Communication Online Master’s Program.
“Living here is a full-time job,” she said. “You have to be a decent planner.”
Even with all the extra work, this geographic spot is exactly where Burrows wanted to be after retiring as a lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Army.
After joining MSU’s ROTC program and earning her undergraduate degree, Burrows joined the Army’s Signal Corps – a division that deals with the Army’s communications. She then was an instructor at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth.
After retiring, Burrows was looking for a program that hit a variety of her interests and would complement what she did in the military. The MSU StratCom program fit the bill.
“I really found the classes we offer in the program to hit on a lot of different touch points for me,” Burrows said. “For example, learning how to do a website and planning social media; it was hands-on.”
Burrows is currently offering support to a family friend’s store, providing her newly acquired website and social media knowledge she gained in CAS 831: Digital Content Creation, Curation, and Promotion.
She said she's looking forward to continue learning about and applying the skills she's learned.
As for future opportunities for Burrows and how she plans to apply her master's?
"It's limitless," she said.