For his graduate research project for North Central’s Master of Arts in Strategic Leadership (MASL) program, Josiah Kennealy didn’t just write a paper, he wrote a book. “Debtless,” is a guide to encourage students to take on less debt for their college education. The practical book is a powerful tool for college-bound students, and an outcome of his graduate studies that Kennealy discusses with enthusiasm.
When Kennealy graduated from NCU the first time in 2013, what he had and what he didn’t have made a huge impact on his life.
What he had was a degree in ministry that opened the door to the exact job he wanted; what he didn’t have was any debt. Kennealy held a job throughout high school and college, saved aggressively, put himself on a strict budget, and earned college credit in high school through Minnesota’s PSEO program. His efforts paid off and he entered his professional life unencumbered by school debt.
As pastor of young adult ministries at Cedar Valley Church in Bloomington, Minnesota, Kennealy knows his debt-free status allows him to work at a non-profit organization without pressure to earn more to pay the bills. It’s given him the freedom to choose his path.
Telling his story to Dave Ramsey
After his graduation in 2013, a trip to Tennessee with his dad gave Kennealy the unexpected opportunity to visit the headquarters of financial expert Dave Ramsey’s organization. When staff there heard Kennealy’s story, they invited him to do an interview to share as an example of how to graduate debt-free.
The interview experience helped Kennealy realize his story could become a book, but nothing happened with it. “It’s a nice idea to have a dream and a vision,” Kennealy said, “but strategic leadership comes in when you have a dream and a vision, and a plan to make it happen.”
Kennealy began his MASL coursework at North Central in 2014 and was a member of the very first class of MASL students. As he approached the end of his course of study and was determining a focus for his capstone research project, he realized that this could be the time to bring his book idea to life.
Passion powers the project
Renea Brathwaite, Ph.D., director of graduate and creative education at North Central, points out that a feature of the MASL program is the opportunity to build research projects around students’ current work or passions. “A good capstone really prepares you because it gives you the opportunity to work on your own in a project that really matters to you, at your own pace, with focused guidance so that you can become the expert in that area that you have chosen,” Brathwaite said.
“[The student] is able to take something, a problem that he or she is experiencing and seeing, and ask the question, ‘What is the strategic leadership response to this?’ [It] gives a chance to explore something that’s really meaningful to them.”
Mentors and teams
While the topic of reducing debt was highly meaningful to Kennealy, he had to base his work on more than his personal experience. Under the guidance of his program mentors—another important component of the MASL—Kennealy executed a research plan that included an extensive survey of 850 college students from across the country.
It took a shift to thinking like a strategic leader for Kennealy to get his book from idea stage to paper and ink, and he acknowledges it also took a team. “One of the things I learned through the MASL program was to assemble a great team,” he noted. “My name is on the cover. Jerrid Sebesta offered advice and helped on many levels. Sarah Young was an amazing editor,” Kennealy pointed out, acknowledging the importance of collaboration.
Leading at a higher level
Kennealy walked the North Central graduation stage a second time in May 2017 to receive his MASL degree. He is proud of his book and his accomplishments, and speaks highly of the impact the master’s degree program has had in his life. “I already feel like God has used this program and this school to shape and influence how I lead and steward the position He has given me,” Kennealy said.
“I feel like I am a better team builder, a better pastor, a better shepherd, a better minister to young adults, a better speaker…because of this program. I have been able to lead at a higher level and help my department and the whole organization.”
