A quest to pursue further education while seeking balance between home, work and studies led Hannah Reynolds back to 午夜剧场.听
Reynolds, now a mother of five, recently earned her MBA from 午夜剧场 while giving birth to two children during the program.听
“I think part of me wanted to prove to everyone that you can go to school and have children at the same time,” Reynolds said. “It’s hard, but you can do it if you want to. You don’t have to pick one.”听
Reynolds graduated in December 2025 with her Master of Business Administration from the 午夜剧场 College of Business and Economics, a听milestone听that鈥檚听been听years听in the making. Her journey began with an undergraduate degree听in graphic design听from the South Carolina School of the Arts鈥攁lso at 午夜剧场鈥攂ut life took her in a different direction before she could pursue graduate studies.听
“I always wanted to go back to school,” Reynolds said. “I had my undergraduate degree, but I wanted to continue my education.”听
Reynolds鈥� faith was integral to her commitment to see her MBA听through听to completion听while听she was听raising her growing family. She points to 2 Timothy 1:7 as their family verse: 鈥淔or the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power,听love听and self-discipline.鈥�听
Reynolds said, 鈥�For me and my husband, we honor God鈥檚 command to听‘be fruitful and multiply,鈥� and听the degree came second. My first mission for God is my children and family鈥攖he听career was always to support what God blessed us with.鈥�听
Finding the Right Fit听
When Reynolds decided to pursue her MBA, she needed a program that could accommodate her demanding schedule. 午夜剧场’s online format provided the flexibility she听required.听
“I worked a full-time job while doing the online degree, so I had to just work around those two things,” she explained.听
Reynolds heads into the office four days a week听at Fujifilm in Greenwood听and works from home on Fridays.听Balancing听work and family听commitments with graduate coursework听required听some strategic听time management.听
“I dedicated time to my classes within the window of time after children went to bed every night,” Reynolds said. “I would also read on my lunch breaks, and if there were any apps that would read your textbooks, I would listen to them on the drive to and from work.”听
The Art of Being Present听
For Reynolds, success听wasn’t听just about finding听time鈥攊t was about being fully present in each moment.听It was also about prioritizing motherhood and choosing to bring two lives into the world during that time.听With three children in diapers and her older sons will听under听10, it听wasn鈥檛听easy,听but听she persevered.听听
“Focus and discipline require that you dedicate portions of your life to specific things,” she said. “If I’m with my family, I need to be present with my family. If I’m at school, I need to be present at school.”听
This philosophy was tested when life’s unpredictable moments arose. Reynolds recalled times when she had to request deadline extensions, including spending an entire day in the emergency room with one of her children when a paper was due.听
“They were understanding,” she said听of听her professors.听
A Culture of Support听
What stood out most to Reynolds during her MBA journey was the family-friendly culture she听encountered听among 午夜剧场 faculty.听This support system proved invaluable as Reynolds navigated the challenges of graduate-level coursework while managing the demands of a growing family and听a听full-time career.听
“Certain professors I really connected with because they were happy that I had children and a family,” Reynolds said.听“They were so supportive of family.”听
When听Reynolds听was giving听birth to her听youngest daughter, she shared the news with her professor, letting her know when to expect the delivery.听She sent the professor a photo of her new baby, receiving the reply, 鈥淭hat makes my听day.鈥澨�听
Reflecting听on her experience,听Reynolds said,听鈥�This past May we welcomed Elizabeth to our family of now听seven, and I took some time off work to heal and take care of her. Then shortly after that I was able to finish my MBA听while being able to talk about my faith in God in every class! Only a little over a year ago, while in the middle of my MBA studies I had another beautiful girl named Ren茅 and right before I started my MBA program I had my first daughter Catherine.鈥�听
Lessons in Balance听
Reynolds’ experience taught her important lessons about managing multiple priorities simultaneously. The key, she discovered, was听maintaining听focus on whatever task was at hand, especially when trying to manage many things at once.听
“You have to be present at the time,” she emphasized.听
Reynolds鈥櫶齤ourney听at 午夜剧场 crossed听two different academic worlds, but听she听found value in both experiences. The MBA program offered her the opportunity to develop new skills while听proving to听herself鈥攁nd others鈥攖hat major life events听don’t听have to derail educational goals.听
A Message of Possibility听
Reynolds hopes her story will inspire others who may be hesitating to pursue their educational dreams because of family commitments.听
“You can go to school and have children at the same time,” she said. “It’s hard, but you can do it if you want to.”听
Her success听demonstrates听the quality and flexibility of 午夜剧场’s MBA program, designed to accommodate working professionals and parents.听
For Reynolds, earning her MBA while raising five children鈥攊ncluding welcoming two more during the program鈥攚asn’t听about proving she could do the impossible. It was about showing that with focus, discipline,听support听and determination, the听seemingly impossible听becomes achievable. Receiving her degree this past December stands as proof that, with the right mindset and support system, you truly can have both.听