Inspire, Spring 2005

22 Spring 2005 T alking with Janice Marsteller ’83, one may wonder how she ended up where she is today or even why. How did someone whose goal in life was to be a wife and mother end up navigating her way through varied careers and earning three degrees? Janice is like an explorer — a “She-Magellan,” one might conclude. When her domestic dreams were shattered by the unexpected death of her medical resident husband in 1987, Janice was forced to face new horizons. The 16th century explorer Ferdinand Magellan is best known for being the first to circumnavigate the globe and ultimately discover the Pacific Ocean. When Magellan set out to explore the New World, he didn’t really know where his journeys would take him. He had hopes and a plan with no guarantees. And even with a vision, he could not see the trials he would face — disease, mutiny, death. But when he journeyed into the Pacific Ocean, he found a sense of calm. So Magellan aptly named the body of water based on the sense he experienced. Upon being suddenly single and now self-sufficient, “She- Magellan Janice” had to set a course and trust that God would lead her and calm her anxious spirit during trying times. “My career wasn’t a choice; it was a necessity,” Janice said, as she explained how she went from being a homemaker with an unused degree in mathematics to a graduate student preparing to earn a doctorate in pharmacy. “I never envisioned having a career to begin with. I was happy to be getting married and thought I would pursue something more at a later time after my husband had finished his training. When my husband died, necessity arrived, and I knew I had to do something more.” Acting on encouragement from a colleague, Janice decided to pursue a master’s degree in accounting. She became a licensed CPA in 1989 with a primary focus on tax work. But it wasn’t long before Janice became restless and the explorer in her was ready to set out on a new course. “I liked what I was doing, but it felt like it was time to do something more,” she said. “I had a strong sense that I needed to get back to old interests, so I decided to sign up for some university classes for fun and to keep me mentally challenged.” Over the next three years, Janice made numerous explorations into career possibilities — including the possibility of healthcare-related work within the business world. But then God directed her in a new way. “More surprises were in store for me as I began to face unusual physical problems,” she revealed. “But God was using these to point me in yet another direction: teaching and taking pharmacy classes.” “After dealing with the physical problems, teaching, and trying to plan a future career (since I had experienced serious setbacks in my current occupation), the doors were opening in the direction of completing a pharmacy degree,” Janice explained. “This path was not without its testing period. I sat out for a year, looking into new possibilities and finding a new job out-of-state. When faced with the decision of taking the new job or returning to finish the doctor of pharmacy degree, the provisions came that made it possible for me to finish the degree.” Janice acknowledges that any type of change involves uncertainty. “Some changes bring a great deal of happiness; others bring sadness, anxiety, anger, and/or grief,” she expressed. “Going through my career changes involved many of these emotions at different stages. I experienced anxiety and sadness in leaving what was familiar without any guarantees of what was coming next. Going through all of this alone also included a degree of loneliness and constant self-doubting. I think some of the loneliness and self-doubting came from having lived through the shock of my husband’s death, losing a lot of time in the career pursuit, and always feeling I was ‘behind’ where other people were. I felt I couldn’t afford any more setbacks, believing I was going to go backwards and lose marketability.” As Janice worked through those emotions and prayed for wisdom, answers came and things became clearer, but it took a fair amount of time. It wasn’t a quick process. Janice expects to graduate from the University of Toledo in May 2005. While the road hasn’t been smooth, perfect, or easy, she says she is at peace. “This is yet again another new direction for my life, and I have enjoyed the new experiences and opportunities it has brought,” she noted. Janice is now looking for work that will combine her previous work experience with the field of pharmacy. “My combined talents are currently new to the marketplace (even though demand says that they should make me quite marketable). So I may not have an immediate opportunity available without time and gaining experience,” she stated. With that in mind, Janice is currently exploring various clinical pharmacy positions. She realizes necessity will more than likely once again dictate where she goes, but says it will be God’s direction even though it may not yet be the final destination. Just as Magellan found calm as he explored the Pacific Ocean, Janice is grateful that God is her calming force and constant guide. As Janice reflects on her explorations and professional journeys, she is reminded of God’s faithfulness. She reflected, “He takes us through changes — sometimes through death, divorce, illness, or through career initiation or redirection — all with His wonderful way of changing the environment around us in order to change us on the inside. And He continues His work of making us a unique reflection of His image so that we can serve others and share Christ’s forgiveness, grace, and love.” Exploring New Horizons J a n i c e K l i n g e n b e r g M a r s t e l l e r ’ 8 3 Janice may be contacted via email at janice.marsteller@sbcglobal.net