When Julia Sellers finished her first year with AmeriCorps, she knew she wanted to keep learning and growing as a professional. But she wasn’t sure she was ready to commit to graduate school. A professional certificate—an academic credit-bearing course offered through Furman University's Innovation Lab—gave Julia a way to test the waters and helped her discover that returning to the classroom was right where she wanted to be.
With a background in non-profit and academic settings, Julia is currently serving her second year with AmeriCorps as a VISTA Leader at Sustaining Way. After completing her first year of service, she received a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, which helps cover future education costs at qualified higher education institutions.
At the time, Julia wasn’t ready to pursue a full graduate degree. Instead, she wanted professional education courses that would help her grow while she worked. She enrolled in the Center for Innovative Leadership’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI), a program that helps individuals strengthen their leadership skills, build professional networks and become more effective leaders.
“These are the people I want to be around,” Julia said. “These are the people I want to aspire to be.”
After completing WLI, she was ready for the next step. The Furman Innovation Lab began offering professional certificates in collaboration with Furman’s Graduate Studies and the Center for Innovative Leadership. Professional certificates allow non-degree learners to take select graduate-level courses in areas like leadership, advocacy and social policy, or strategic design. Professional certificate earners receive academic credit that can later be applied toward Furman graduate certificates and master’s programs.
Julia enrolled in the fall 2025 professional certificate course Leading in Uncertain Times. Rather than focusing solely on leadership theory, the course challenged students to examine their personal leadership strengths, how they respond under pressure and how they can lead with clarity and adaptability when outcomes are uncertain. Through this experience, Julia was able to bring real workplace challenges into the classroom, which helped her gain practical insights that she could put into practice right away.
“I was able to exercise those lessons in real time,” she said.
Julia valued the interactive, in-person format and small class size, which created space to ask questions, have meaningful discussions and receive feedback from others.
The professional certificate allowed her to effectively balance her work with her school responsibilities. At the same time, it pushed her to think more intentionally about what she wanted out of her career.
“I want to look back at my work and say, ‘I moved the needle on a topic or on an issue,’” she said.
Rather than simply advancing into management roles, Julia wants to focus her energy on a few areas where she can have the greatest impact. With so many interests, she wants to refine her focus to leave a lasting mark.
“If I can pinpoint one or two lanes where I can work to really make a difference in the next 20 to 30 years, I think I'll be more fulfilled than had I just moved up to a management position,” she said. “I don't want to just be a person who filled a job.”
Through the professional certificate course, Julia discovered her interests and goals aligned with policy and advocacy work. Julia took the next step in her academic journey by enrolling in the Master of Arts in Advocacy and Social Policy program. What began as a professional education opportunity became a pathway into graduate education. For Julia, the professional certificate gave her the chance to explore graduate-level learning without a long-term commitment, while also helping her to explore her interests, build new skills and confirm that pursuing a master’s degree was the right path forward.
“I definitely think if people are interested in getting back into the classroom and aren't really sure if they're ready to commit to a full program, the professional certificates are a great way to do a short-term commitment,” she said.
Sometimes a single course can open the door to something bigger. Professional certificates offer a pathway for students to explore emerging interests, build confidence and discover whether additional skills and knowledge in a particular area of focus—a graduate certificate or a master’s degree—is where they want to go next. For many, like Julia, these programs become a catalyst for both personal and professional growth.
Learn more about professional certificates and our graduate studies opportunities on our website.
