{"id":2025,"date":"2022-05-23T10:50:38","date_gmt":"2022-05-23T17:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/?p=2025"},"modified":"2024-07-24T11:11:53","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T18:11:53","slug":"monique-lanier-religious-studies-online-bachelors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/monique-lanier-religious-studies-online-bachelors\/","title":{"rendered":"Now at Harvard, Oregon State online grad still “over the moon” with religious studies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Monique Lanier can\u2019t shake Oregon State.<\/p>\n

Not that she wants to, of course. She\u2019s a graduate of Oregon State\u2019s religious studies online bachelor\u2019s program<\/a>, and the experience profoundly impacted her \u2014 academically and in myriad other ways.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s regularly reminded of that impact now as she works her way through the Harvard Divinity School\u2019s master\u2019s program in theological studies. That\u2019s what the undergraduate experience is partly designed to do, by the way \u2014 prepare a person for an advanced course of study, increased rigor and a new set of challenges.<\/p>\n

Lanier embraces all of that at Harvard, and she says her alma mater helped pave her path to one of the world\u2019s most prestigious institutions.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot

Monique Lanier is a graduate of Oregon State’s religious studies online bachelor’s program. Read a first-person account<\/a> of her academic experiences.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe religious studies program at Oregon State is excellent,\u201d she says. \u201cI often find myself wanting to send emails to my OSU professors thanking them for the material they curated for their classes. I\u2019ve cited it many times in my graduate work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enrolling in a graduate program at Harvard has helped satiate Lanier\u2019s thirst for knowledge as a lifelong learner. She\u2019s grateful for the opportunity, particularly because a stroke and resulting chronic health issues disrupted her life and academic aspirations for nearly 20 years<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Not only does she find religion \u201cbeyond fascinating,\u201d but she also considers now to be the ideal time to continue her studies.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am more convinced than ever that the study of religion is essential,\u201d Lanier says. \u201cIt is not the study of doctrine or theology, exclusively, but the study of our relationship to the sacred; both secular and divine. That includes pretty much everything<\/em>. What could be more essential than that? There is so much at stake.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe study of religion is also fundamental as a tool of insight to the real-world challenges we are facing. There is so much to learn and so many amazing scholars to learn from. I\u2019m always over the moon with it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

While earning her bachelor\u2019s degree with Oregon State Ecampus, Lanier was part of an engaging, tight-knit group of online learners and religious studies faculty members. The connections gave her \u2014\u00a0and her Ecampus classmates<\/a> \u2014\u00a0an authentic sense of community despite learning from a distance.<\/p>\n

Oregon State served as the foundation of a remarkable journey, one that led Lanier out of a prolonged dark period to Harvard and the many places that await.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout a doubt, it changed my life. It\u2019s not an exaggeration to say it most likely saved my life,\u201d she says. \u201cI sincerely believe that education changes lives and often saves them. Add that to the gift of being in the presence of incredibly kind and deeply good people and, well, we can save the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Learn more about Oregon State\u2019s religious studies online bachelor\u2019s program<\/strong> and how it can empower you to pursue your passion.<\/em><\/p>\n

Request information<\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

<\/span> 3<\/span> minute read<\/span><\/span>Monique Lanier is a graduate of Oregon State\u2019s religious studies online bachelor\u2019s program, and the experience profoundly impacted her \u2014 academically and in myriad other ways. And her alma mater helped pave her path to one of the world\u2019s most prestigious institutions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2026,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,6,3,677,8],"tags":[75,641,451],"class_list":["post-2025","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all","category-ecampus","category-features","category-students-and-alumni","category-students","tag-college-of-liberal-arts","tag-languages-and-liberal-arts","tag-religious-studies"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/religious-studies-stained-glass-800x450-1.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BNSE-wF","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1305,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/religious-studies-online-lanier\/","url_meta":{"origin":2025,"position":0},"title":"Oregon State Everywhere: Grateful after a 20-year battle","author":"Monique Lanier","date":"December 13, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\"At the time of the stroke, I was enrolled in the local community college, just about to graduate and start nursing school. 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Thanks to Oregon State University, students not only have a new option to consider, but they can also do it while enrolled\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archives"","block_context":{"text":"Archives","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/archives\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Buddhist temple, part of the focus of Oregon State's religious studies online degree program.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/religious-studies-online-degree.jpg?fit=774%2C333&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/religious-studies-online-degree.jpg?fit=774%2C333&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/religious-studies-online-degree.jpg?fit=774%2C333&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/religious-studies-online-degree.jpg?fit=774%2C333&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2405,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/how-to-earn-your-degree-online-student-with-disabilities\/","url_meta":{"origin":2025,"position":2},"title":"How to earn your degree online as a student with disabilities","author":"Monique Lanier","date":"November 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Not only was I learning the information in my classes, which was fantastic, but I was also learning how to be a student with disabilities. ... 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Hulet","date":"August 14, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"\"After searching for Buddhist and Hindu scholars across colleges in Oregon, I came across Oregon State University Ecampus and a class on Gandhi and non-violence, a topic not only captivating, but relevant to our times. Since that first class, I have framed my life around completing my undergraduate degree in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "All Stories"","block_context":{"text":"All Stories","link":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/category\/all\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Diana-Hulet.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Diana-Hulet.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Diana-Hulet.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/assets\/Diana-Hulet.jpg?fit=744%2C478&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2151,"url":"https:\/\/ecampus.oregonstate.edu\/news\/how-to-network-online-student\/","url_meta":{"origin":2025,"position":4},"title":"Simple \u2018tricks\u2019 on how to network online as an Ecampus student","author":"Monique Lanier","date":"November 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Networking online is simply engaging in genuine relationships. 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