Jill Stewart, a second-year student in the Duke Environmental Leadership Master of Environmental Management (DEL-MEM) program, recently shared insights into why she's pursuing her degree, how she balances her studies while working a full-time job and how she's applying what she's learning at work.

Stewart is the director of the Dam Safety & Stormwater Permitting Division at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Why did you pursue the DEL-MEM degree?

In the 20 years since I completed my undergraduate degree in civil engineering, obtaining a graduate degree has always been a goal, but timing was never just right with work and family commitments—and then came COVID! Like many people, the past few years spent at home during the pandemic started me on a path of reflection. With my son, Mason, now a teenager, I was at a place where I could logistically manage the time commitments that come with grad school, and I knew that an online degree was necessary given my work demands. When I found the DEL-MEM program at Duke University, I knew it provided the perfect combination of leadership focus, environmentally focused course work and the asynchronistic format I needed.

What’s been the highlight of your time in the program?

Besides the opportunity to study at Duke University, I would have to say the DEL-MEM Washington D.C. Place-Based Session. It was an incredible opportunity to explore the city with my cohort and hear committed environmental leaders share their personal journeys.

How do you balance your career with your studies?

For many of us in the DEL program, it’s not just about balancing career with school, it's about balancing life with school! Before I started, I first made certain my son recognized that for two years I would need to commit evening and weekend hours to schoolwork and wouldn’t have my normal flexibility. Once he was on board, I quickly learned that it was necessary to become very organized with scheduling class/program deliverables alongside home and work commitments. I often use lunchtime to study or listen to required readings.

How are you applying what you’ve learned to your job?

I would say it’s not a single skill I’ve learned through DEL that I use every day but enhanced perspective in everything from consideration of audiences in writing to the ability to more broadly conceptualize potential ramifications of climate adaptation that I’ve gained from this experience.