Chris Lukeman is not one to shy away from long-term goals. While working as a paramedic in Antigonish, N.S., he graduated from Memorial with a bachelor of business administration degree. It was an accomplishment seven years in the making.

Mr. Lukeman traveled to St. John’s to attend his convocation ceremony on Oct. 23; it was his first time in the capital city since he was born here 29 years ago.

Balancing full-time employment with family commitments, Mr. Lukeman wanted to upgrade his education to open up future career opportunities. He chose the online program so he could complete it on his own time, while continuing to work and volunteer in his community.

“Having a family and being employed, I couldn’t stop everything to further my education,” he said. “I looked at online programs all over Canada, but Memorial had the best offering.”

He says the journey seemed daunting at the beginning, but found that breaking it down semester by semester allowed him to stay focused on his goal.

“The online format meant I could complete course work around my work schedule or whenever I had downtime and wherever I was,” he said, jokingly adding that he never watches television.

“The hardest part was the first step, committing to the goal. Then it was just baby steps from there on out, and before I knew it, it was done.”