I’m going back to school for a Masters in English

Yes, you read it right. I’m going back to school for a Masters in English!

After spending the first three decades of my life training to be a doctor, I’d had enough of school, but life has twists and turns. It took more than a decade to convince myself to return to school. In January 2019, I started teaching a course at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), in Fort Myers, Florida, as an adjunct instructor (in academic lingo, that means, “part-time professor”). However, my journey takes another twist. After six years as a professor, this January 2025, I’m returning to the role of a student in the FGCU Masters in English program.

I became captivated by Storytelling as an oral performance art sometime back in 2014. Since then, I’ve devoted resources and time to train to be a professional storyteller. I started crafting stories, attending a guild, performing, producing events, attending festivals, learning at conferences… At that time, I knew that I did not want to return to the traditional classroom… so what changed?

I’ve really enjoyed bringing the art of oral storytelling to college students and college professors. I’ve enjoyed encouraging the essential communication skill of telling stories out loud, person to person, face to face… in a non-traditional classroom structure. Stories are how we connect and share experiences. I’ve enjoyed teaching a subject at the intersection of public speaking, creative writing, and performance art. I watch students grow in confidence and realize that they have stories to tell.

To go further in the world of academia, I’ve made a commitment to explore that intersection of oral literature and written literature. In this Masters program, I’ll be reading a lot and studying the world of English literature. It’s a little different than the world of oral storytelling, but it’s all just stories.

Wish me luck! It’s never too late to go back to school…

There’s a lot of balancing to add something new to the demands for my time. I now have multiple part-time roles: physician, professor, performer, producer, writer, … and now student … and then, the rest of life.

• How are you juggling the many demands on your time?
• How will you avoid burnout and create a life of balance?
• How will you remain inspired in the new year?

Stay tuned for more on my journey of Living the Present Moment…