Careers don’t always follow a straight path. Twists and turns along the way can lead you to unexpected places. Just ask Matt MacDonald who graduated from UMass Lowell, not once, but twice.

After 12 years working as a registered nurse at Lowell General Hospital, Meredith Ritze developed specialized skills caring for people who struggle with urology issues. She applied to UMass Lowell to become a nurse practitioner to further her career.

Raised in a rural area in central Massachusetts, Brianna Dowse was unsure about living in a city like Lowell. But once she was accepted into the Exercise Physiology and the Doctorate of Physical Therapy programs, she took the leap and has never looked back.

Just as the University experienced its own transformation, so did Michael Boyer who started as an exercise physiology major, changing to community health after taking epidemiology and community health courses.