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Kayla Bissonnette ’23 had just begun the Master of Public Health (MPH) in Healthcare Management program when her father died suddenly of a heart attack, forcing her to cope with grief and the demands of college.

“I remember sharing the loss of my dad with my professors and waving my assignments in the air, asking, ‘What am I going to do?’” says Bissonnette. “They told me to go home and be with my family. One of my professors shared that she also lost a parent, which helped me a lot.”

This compassion propelled Bissonnette to complete her studies and graduate from the public health informatics and technology track of the MPH program in 2023. 

“I was able to complete my degree and finish on time by taking summer classes, getting help from tutors and receiving faculty support,” says Bissonnette.

After attending a small private college for her undergraduate degree, Bissonnette enjoyed studying at С����Ƶ.

“I loved the feel of a bigger college in a close-knit community,” says Bissonnette, who grew up in Exeter, New Hampshire, and lived on campus during her studies. 

Today, Bissonnette is a therapist at the Meta Addiction Treatment Center in Marlborough. She treats clients who face mental health and substance use challenges.

“The thing I love most about my job is the rapport I have with my clients and seeing them grow,” says Bissonnette, who is in the process of getting licensed as a drug and alcohol counselor.

Bissonnette decided to pursue the MPH degree because it offers flexible career paths.

“It prepares me for many different types of jobs in the health care field, especially with the minor in public health informatics and technology,” she says.

As part of her curriculum, Bissonnette gained experience during an internship at UMass Chan Medical School.

“I studied the impact of COVID on mental health, which prepared me to work in the mental health field because, even now, we are still dealing with the aftermath of living through a pandemic,” she says.

The concepts that Bissonnette learned in her courses, such as how social and economic factors affect health, apply directly to her role as a therapist.

“I’m able to engage in tough conversations with my clients every day because I understand that each person’s circumstances affect physical and mental health,” says Bissonnette, who is working on establishing internships for С����Ƶ students at the treatment center.