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Duo Balances School, Work and Parenthood
From meeting in a high school German class in Idaho to living in Washington State for a decade while he finished up his service in the Navy to traveling to multiple countries, Andrew Nephew and Kiara Slaughter established a life together. Coming to Johnson & Wales in Providence was their next step in changing their lives and improving their future for their daughter, Marceline.
Here’s what brought them to JWU’s Data Analytics and Occupational Therapy Doctorate programs and how they have navigated parenthood and college life in their 30s.
Finding the Right Fit
In Washington, Kiara had been in a job for years that kept promising promotions without following through. A Myers-Briggs personality test suggested occupational therapy (OT) as a career.
“I researched OT, and it sounded like a great fit,” shares Kiara. “I shadowed with a pediatric outpatient clinic and with a hand therapy OT, and both experiences helped me decide that I liked it enough to go back to school.”
“I looked at a lot of universities, and as the West Coast doesn’t have many OTD programs, I focused on the East Coast,” continues Kiara. “I liked the capstone portion of JWU, and the professors were really personable here.”
Her initial attempt to matriculate into JWU’s entry-level Occupational Therapy Doctorate program in 2020 had some hiccups. "We were in Ireland, so I couldn't make the in-person interview, and I couldn't complete a physics prerequisite course due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so I had to disenroll," she recalls. "In 2021, that prerequisite had been removed and I was accepted, but we weren't able to move across the country in the timeframe between acceptance and classes starting." The third time was the charm: "In 2022 I was accepted, and we made the big move!"
Today, Kiara has finished the academic portion of her degree program. “The pinning ceremony was a big moment,” she says. “We’ve had fun classes and field trips. The Sargent (Rehabilitation) Center is a school for kids who can’t be in the public school system; they have disabilities or need to use visual communication aids. OTs work there in addition to teachers — it’s a really cool place! And we’ve gone to see hippotherapy, which is a form of therapy with the assistance of horses, and seen how OTs can use it in their practice. I like how the program gives lot of opportunities to see real-world applications of OT — and in places you might not think it would be!”
Meanwhile, Andrew was at a similar career crossroads, and also took the Myers-Briggs test.
“I originally majored in criminal justice, but I didn’t want to get into law enforcement anymore,” he shares. “The test showed how much I like solving puzzles and suggested data analytics, which involves a little math and a little coding (which I wanted to learn). I already liked working with Excel, which is a big part of it.” He took advantage of JWU’s combined degree program, completing his B.S. in Data Analytics while taking graduate courses toward his M.S. in Data Analytics.
“It’s fun to be at the forefront of a field that’s new and see how it goes and improves,” Andrew continues. “It’s interesting, and there’s a lot you can do with it. I could work in an office, or outside, or really anywhere because collecting data and information is a worldwide thing. It’s the new oil.”
He adds, “I took statistics at my last college, and it was my first time going into a math class and really enjoying the learning. I hadn’t thought about a math-heavy career — but it’s so fun to figure out what information means and make sense of it all.”
Tips for Navigating JWU as Nontraditional Students
Kiara and Andrew admit that it’s “stressful” balancing life and parenthood with school, but they appreciate JWU’s support.
“The faculty have been mostly awesome, and when I was working for Facilities, they were super helpful and allowed us to have the schedule we needed,” says Andrew. “The only thing that’s a little rough is having class in the middle of the day while also navigating working. Finals were the biggest struggle, but the staff and faculty have been super helpful.”
“Everyone has been very, very supportive,” agrees Kiara. “Marceline came into the world the second week of the Fall semester last year, and everyone kept in contact with me while I was at home. I was able to do some classes through Zoom, too."
As for everyday life, schedules and to-do lists help them cope. “It’s busy — we don’t ever feel like we have enough time — but it’s manageable,” says Andrew. “It comes in waves, and we prioritize different things than we might have in the past.”
“Even before Marcy was born, we’d write down dinners and house projects and school assignments on the calendar,” he continues. “We were both working while grad students the first year, then Kiara went into full-time fieldwork while I kept working. Coordinating that has been interesting. You need to go with the flow and remember to be kind to each other. Only one of us is allowed to panic at once — that’s our rule that we can’t both spiral. One of us always has to be studying.”
The couple offers tips to other Wildcats in their shoes:
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- Try to get your meals planned out ahead of time.
- Find easier recipes to make.
- Do your dishes before you go to bed.
- Prioritize your mental health.
That last one is crucial to the couple. “If something is getting blown out of proportion but is small, it’s nice to take a step back and realize it’s ok to ignore for the moment and focus on yourself,” says Andrew. “You can go for a walk, or antiquing or to the Wickford Art Festival. Change your perspective.”
Kiara adds another: keep in contact with your instructors. “My professors were really good at checking in on me,” she says. “My advisor helped keep me in check at our weekly meetings. I was able to bring Marcy in a little bit and have tutoring sessions for labs, which was really helpful.” She does have one wish: “I’d like tiny humans to be allowed in some labs!”
Staying Connected to Campus
Between commuting to campus from Pawtucket and being older than most of their classmates, there were challenges to getting to know fellow Wildcats. Andrew overcame this by starting up a veterans group to strengthen connections between students with similar experiences. “Korina Ramsland Short and Michael Waugh at the Bridge for Diversity, Equity & Social Justice were super helpful and supportive and got me in touch with the Student Government Association,” he explains of the process. “When I learned the club would need an advisor, I consulted Data Analytics Professor Evelina Lapierre, who connected me with Assistant Professor Bernie Brennan — a veteran himself." (In November 2023, Andrew joined Brennan as guests on a special Veterans Day edition of “This Week at JWU — The Podcast.”)
“It can be a struggle to get veterans aware of the resources at JWU, like the veterans lounge,” Andrew says. “I keep my eye out for vets around campus. I seem to find the guy with a beard or a wedding ring and know that’s my people!”
Meanwhile, Kiara has found her OTD cohort to be very supportive — and very missed. “I saw my cohort 4-5 days a week. When we started our Level 2 fieldwork, it was so weird not to see them daily anymore! We still meet up outside of school, but it was an adjustment. It’s harder now because of the baby. My friends love Marcy but I can’t always bring her, and babysitting is expensive.”
Kiara also tries to stay involved with campus events. “There’s a Student Occupational Therapy Association club and also a chapter of COTAD, which is the same thing but with an emphasis on cultural diversity — so there are events every month like a movie about cultural diversity, plus a different theme every month. We participated in Providence PRIDE the last two years which was good — the first year we participated just as our group, and this past year we partnered with the Bridge.”
What’s Next for Andrew and Kiara
Kiara, ever organized, has a 10- to 15-year plan. “I’d like to open my own outpatient clinic in our hometown in Idaho; it’s very needed there,” she says. “I also would like to do an adult rehab patient clinic there as well. There is definitely an opportunity healthcare-wise in Idaho; right now, residents have to travel far for specialized care. Andrew’s brother drives 70 miles round-trip for one of his kids to see a specialist!”
“I’d like to have a place for the community to be served,” she adds. “I’ve gotten scholarships from there to help with my graduate studies, and I want to give back.”
Andrew, meanwhile, will be applying to doctoral programs this fall, eyeing a Ph.D. program in Washington in earth and space sciences that embeds a data science option. “I originally wanted to be an environmental analyst when I finished, but now I want to do something that involves renewable energy and environmental sustainability,” says Andrew. “The science, products and technology coming out of that area are insane right now."
He continues, “I’d love to be doing something out in the wilderness but still applying the skills I’m learning.”
Right now, the present outweighs the future. “It’s hard to think about what you want to do when you’re in the middle of getting things done — handling the baby, your relationships, your home, where you need to ensure money coming in to facilitate the things you need to take care of,” says Andrew.
But they do have one set goal for the future: more children. “We hope to have one more and also adopt a third someday,” shares Kiara. Her bright smile at the thought hints at the loving home those children will have.
