GILLIAN CHISHIMBA MUKULA-MWABA, Doctor of Philosophy

I always had a dream…to hold a Ph.D.!However, my busy work schedule and family responsibilities were a challenge that I could not enrol in a university to attend full time courses. My burning desire for a Doctorate in my professional field did not diminish – AIU was the answer. AIU offered me an opportunity to pursue my desired dream through a system that was extremely interactive, balanced and sensitive to my needs and circumstances.The best part of the programme was the flexibility of allowing me to get involved in designing my curriculum.From the time I enrolled for my Ph.D. in Journalism at AIU, I appreciated the fact that self-discipline is a virtue for any individual to reach higher heights. Yes, a lot of reading was required to be able to follow instructions, and that is the way it should be. The Student Handbook was simply superb. I also appreciated the interaction with then student services, academic department and especially my Tutors, Viridian Carreno and Cyndy Moningues as well as my Advisors Eric Aquillar and Nam Nguyen who were always available to provide guidance and kept the communications lines open. I was extremely overwhelmed that the evaluation of research papers did not take more than 24hours. This was incredible and I was encouraged to even work harder to accomplish my desired dream. Furthermore, the student page (my page) gave me all the information that I needed such as my Grades and Invoices.I did not have to struggle. Bravo AIU! Besides meeting my academic needs, the AIU offered me an opportunity to structure payment of fees in an affordable manner. I want to encourage those who want to attain further education to consider AIU – Distance Learning. I am ready to face any challenges in undertaking research projects. GILLIAN CHISHIMBA MUKULA-MWABA, Doctor of Philosophy (ZAMBIA)