UNIVERSITY PARK, PA — As Pennsylvania confronts workforce shortages in health care, technology, and other high-demand fields, two Chester County residents are demonstrating how career advancement no longer requires leaving home.
More than 1,500 Pennsylvanians earned degrees online through Penn State World Campus in 2025, including over 500 graduates this month alone. Among them were Aja Cramer of Downingtown and Joana Taka of Phoenixville, whose paths highlight how online education is reshaping opportunity across southeastern Pennsylvania.
Cramer spent 15 years in the restaurant industry before deciding to reinvent her career. After transitioning into a new role with the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board, she enrolled in Penn State’s online bachelor’s program in digital multimedia design. By leveraging transfer credits and summer coursework, she completed her degree in about three years while continuing to work full time.
“Being able to earn my degree without uprooting my life was absolutely essential,” Cramer said. “I needed to maintain my full-time job, continue supporting my household alongside my husband, and protect the personal time I had finally regained after leaving the restaurant industry. Penn State World Campus allowed me to pursue my education on my own schedule.”
Now serving as membership manager for the Valley Forge Tourism and Convention Board, Cramer applies her training in design, digital communication, and user experience to support hotels, restaurants, and attractions across the region, helping local businesses grow and strengthening the area’s tourism economy.
Taka, a Phoenixville resident working full-time in finance, followed a different path but faced similar constraints. Seeking to transition into health care, she completed an online bachelor’s degree in health policy and administration through Penn State World Campus, balancing coursework with her professional responsibilities.
Taka said the flexibility of the online format made it possible to finish her degree on time while remaining in her community. “I feel confident talking about my Penn State degree to future employers,” she said. She now plans to use her education to enter the health care field and contribute to Pennsylvania’s workforce at a time when demand for skilled professionals continues to rise.
Penn State officials say stories like Cramer’s and Taka’s reflect a broader shift in workforce development. Karen Pollack, interim vice provost for Online Education at Penn State, said online learning allows working adults to gain credentials without uprooting their lives, delivering benefits that extend beyond individual graduates to families, employers, and entire regions.
With Pennsylvania continuing to invest in workforce readiness, the experiences of these two Chester County graduates illustrate how online education is helping residents build new careers, support local economies, and shape the region’s future — all without leaving home.
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