SNHU Spotlight: Donna Parisi, MA in English and Creative Writing Grad

Donna Parisi ‘24G has persevered through a learning disorder, a brain tumor, a stroke and life-altering personal changes on her path to receiving her degree. But she was determined to see it through. And she did it — she earned her Master of Arts (MA) in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

Overcoming Obstacles

Parisi said it took her more than 20 years to get here. As a stay-at-home mom to four children, motherhood was an all-consuming and important role. But once her children grew up, she not only started to think about pursuing her education but also began drafting a novel.

Then two life changing events occurred simultaneously: the COVID-19 pandemic and a personal health scare for Parisi.

“Right when COVID was starting, that’s when I discovered I had a brain tumor and I needed an emergency surgery,” she said.

Due to the pandemic, Parisi was quickly discharged from the hospital, only a day-and-a-half after her surgery. Being sent to a rehabilitation center was out of the question; the doctors were afraid Parisi might be exposed to COVID.

“I went home, and luckily, I was a very active person,” she said. “I was a marathon runner, a triathlete, so I was in very good shape, and they knew that I would be okay. They knew that I had to recover on my own and I knew that.”

It was up to Parisi to teach herself how to walk and eat again. “I was just determined to get better,” she said.

Slowly, she did get better, but she had even more challenges to face. Only a few months into her recovery, Parisi's nearly 30-year marriage ended. Though Parisi said she was shattered emotionally and still had not recovered physically from her surgery, this was the turning point that pushed her to pursue her education.

Finding SNHU

Faced with another setback in the form of a stroke, Parisi pushed on and enrolled at SNHU. She was excited by the creative writing program and the support SNHU offered.

“I knew SNHU was the perfect fit,” she said. “It just felt right.”

Parisi put all her energy into her schoolwork. She said though many of the challenges in her life were outside her control, the amount of effort she put into her work was something she could control.

“SNHU was my anchor during that time because it made me get up and give me something to do every day besides feel sorry for myself,” she said.

A Format That Fit Her Life

Online learning was a new experience for Parisi as well, and she said she felt intimidated. As a child, she’d struggled with poor reading comprehension due to a learning disability, and she felt she needed to be in a traditional classroom to retain information.

“But it was actually the best move I made for so many reasons,” she said. “I (had) four kids. I had a busy life. This gave me the opportunity to focus on my children and focus on my studies during my own time.”

She said the online format also gave her a bit of privacy, without the added pressure of other students being near and making her feel rushed.

Writing a Novel

During this time, she also continued to work on her novel.

“I started the novel in 2018, and I was going along... and then the pandemic hit,” she said. “But the characters kept telling me, ‘You have to tell my story, you have to tell my story.’ So I just kept pushing and kept going and kept writing.”

On April 1, 2024, Parisi’s novel, "Securely Insecure," was published. But she isn’t done yet.

“While that manuscript ("Securely Insecure") was with the editor, I started another novel, and I completed that,” she said. Currently, between juggling a podcast she hosts, a blog, and book signings, Parisi said she’s looking for a new job that can excite her.

“I would love to make writing my full-time career, but that is a process,” she said.

Encouraging Others

Parisi also wanted to share advice and encourage others going through heartache.

“No one’s going to come and make all your problems go away,” she said. “You just got to get through it. You got to believe in you, and you got to have faith in yourself. And even when you don’t have faith in yourself, you have to find just a little bit of light.”

Parisi said she had to believe in herself, too.

“SNHU has given me so much knowledge," she said. "I knew that once I achieved this goal, I could go out into the world and help so many other people. And that’s what I’ve been doing since.”

From a little girl struggling to read to a published author with her master’s, Parisi has one final message about the value of hard work:

“Look at me now!”

Abigayle Mahnken ’22 is an assistant content writer at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU), where she earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English and is currently earning a Master of Arts (MA) in English and Creative Writing. Passionate about storytelling and education, she enjoys learning from fellow students' experiences and sharing their stories. In her free time, she loves spending time with her family, reading, and learning. She also really likes video games. Connect with her on LinkedIn.