In October, Karina McCormack, PathwayConnect and “Launching Leaders” alumnus, founded an alumni forum called “Breakfast Club."
Past and present Pathway and Launching Leaders students meet every Saturday morning at 6 a.m. for one hour. The sessions are interactive with each alumnus taking turns presenting.
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Zoom "Breakfast Club" meeting for PathwayConnect and Launching Leaders participants and alumni© 2021 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.PathwayConnect is a learning opportunity made possible by BYU-Pathway Worldwide, offering “an accessible path to a spiritually based degree completely online at an affordable price,” its website says.
According to its website, Launching Leaders is a registered non-profit organization that helps people “find fulfillment through applying proven principles and their faith or belief to their everyday lives.”
Karina, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a suburb of Sydney in New South Wales, recently shared her experience on “Charting our Course.”
She told how PathwayConnect and Launching Leaders have impacted her healing process. She said that her son, Levi, was "born with a condition called “Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome” which meant he had half-a-heart."
Enduring multiple open heart surgeries, complications and setbacks throughout his life, when he was eight years old, his family was told he had only weeks, maybe months to live. Instead, he survived for two more years.
"In the time following his passing, it was difficult to know how to fill the massive void. I came to a point where I was searching earnestly for something more, and when I discovered PathwayConnect I felt strongly driven to take this direction, and then Launching Leaders following," Karina said.
“Embracing the principles I learned ─ that time is a gift, to let no empty moments pass, and translating my values into actions, among others ─ have helped me with my grief and loss," she continued.
BYU PathwayConnect is a unique program utilising the flexibility of online learning while also incorporating a weekly gathering with other students—a combination between traditional campus-based and online educational platforms.
Seilosa Patterson, clinical psychotherapist and welfare and self-reliance/family services manager for the Church in Sydney, said, “What I am observing is that they are all becoming expert presenters, knowing how to have interactive discussions.”
"Both BYU PathwayConnect and Launching Leaders are an absolute power pair that have been transformative for me," said Karina, "enabling me to discover more who I really am, ground myself more deeply in the gospel, and pursue my direction in life to fill my purpose."
PathwayConnect is an entry level program that is open to all who wish to improve their educational standing.
Recent changes allow people to complete the PathwayConnect course in only two semesters, so those who enroll in January 2022 could start their degree program in September 2022. Scholarships are available.
Find more enrollment information here.