Sheketta Mister’s 10-Year Journey to Her Master’s Degree Was Worth It

By Chuck Carlson

On her 43rd birthday in August, 2022, Sheketta Mister received the gift for which she had waited years.

After a nearly 10-year journey that had taken her to hell and back, she graduated with her master’s degree in Pharmacology and Toxicology from Michigan State University.

She believed it was a journey worth taking, even if it tested her limits on so many levels, including a debilitating illness that threatened to derail everything for which she had worked so hard.

“But,” she said simply, “I’m not a quitter.”

So, on that birthday, she celebrated not only the completion of her goal but the people at MSU who did not give up on her and gave her a second chance.

Sheketta is a principal consultant for Mister Analytics in the Atlanta area, a science informatics and product management consulting company where she develops strategic and operational plans for various business sectors.

She is working in the field of science that has intrigued her since she was a teenager – trying to understand how medicine works and why it works – and helping bring that knowledge to a wider audience.

“Since high school, I was interested in medicine,” she said. “I wasn’t interested in being a doctor; I wanted to get to the root of all things and find out why. Why do you have high blood pressure? I was a root cause person. I was fascinated with the pharmacology part of things.”

That interest in medicine, science, and pharmacology continued on a personal level as she dealt with a fungal infection from a young age that, as she grew older, developed into major issues with her digestive system.

“We can connect the dots backward to when I was eight years old,” she said of her upbringing in Greenwood, Miss.

But despite her physical issues, she was inspired by her grandmother, Bertha Ellis, and through her, Sheketta developed her love of medicine and pharmacology.

“I was mind-blown by her wisdom on these things,” she said. “I thought, ‘How does she know this stuff?’”

She took what she learned from her grandmother and attended The University of Southern Mississippi, where she initially majored in chemistry before changing to biological sciences. She also worked at a pharmacy, which continued to spark her interest.

“I wanted to know what will treat those who are sick,” she said. “I was filling prescriptions, and I’d think, ‘OK, how do you know this going to work on patients?’ I wanted to follow the journey of the patient and see if it works for them.”

That’s when she knew it was time to try and find an option for a master’s degree. So, in 2009, she headed to her computer.

“I clearly had a passion for pharmacology and toxicology, and I started Googling, and Michigan State was the first program to pop up,” she said. She was intrigued but knew it wouldn’t be easy since she had just given birth to her third child.

“But I said this is doable,” she said. “I can go to school online, and since my husband worked night shifts, I could study until 4 or 5 a.m. and then sleep during the day.”

Program Director Dr. Isola Brown said Sheketta is a perfect example of the type of student who benefits from the flexibility of the Online Graduate Programs in Pharmacology and Toxicology.

“Our 100% asynchronous curriculum lets students learn and study on the schedule that works best for them and their personal and professional lives,” Dr. Brown said.

It all seemed to be working well as she prepared for her master’s capstone project in 2011. That’s when it all collapsed.

“I was at the finish line at MSU, and life got in the way,” she said.

The physical problems that had plagued Sheketta much of her life grew worse. Severe digestive problems plagued her to the point that she said she had no motility and, at one stage, could only drink water and eat strawberries since that was all she could digest.

“I was totally malnourished,” she said. “My small intestine wasn’t working correctly, and my body shut down. I lost almost 60 pounds.”

For more than two years, doctors could not identify her ailment, testing her for various cancers and conducting biopsies. Then, Sheketta, thanks to the knowledge she gained in the MSU program, began to dig into her ailment herself. In the end, with her research, doctors eventually diagnosed her with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and small intestinal fungal overgrowth (SIFO).

Years later, with a treatment plan in place, she sought to return to MSU in late 2021 and complete her program that was already nearly done.

There were many roadblocks, including a university graduate school requirement that a program must be completed in five years. She was nearing 10.

But school officials looked at her previous work, considered her background and the challenges she had been facing, and understanding she was near the finish line, she was granted readmittance.

Dr. Brown and the program staff and faculty provided their full support and advocacy for Sheketta’s readmission.

“We understand that long-term challenges may arise that cause our students to take time away from their studies,” she said. “We are proud to support our students during their time away, and then, ultimately, upon their return.”

Sheketta resumed her studies in January 2022 under the guidance of her mentor Dr. William Jackson, and, seven months later, earned her master’s degree.

“I wanted to finish what I started,” she said.

And her capstone project? It was an analysis of all the physical issues she had been dealing with.

It was a long, arduous journey, but, in the end, it was a journey she was determined to complete, and she remains thankful to all those at MSU who helped.

“MSU holds a special place in my heart, and that was even before this hurdle,” she said. “I enjoyed my experience with the faculty of this program. For example, Dr. Carrie Northcott, tutored me on Saturday mornings to make sure that I grasped the concepts of her Cardiovascular Toxicology class. Dr. Jackson held Q&A sessions on Wednesday nights to close the gap in his Experimental Design and Analysis class.”

And while she continues to deal with her physical issues, she is working through them and looking to a future of her own choosing.

“We still don’t know the root cause of how my digestive system got this way,” she said. “But I think I’ll get an answer. That’s the beauty of science; it’s a journey of discovery.”