Kean Student Turns Adversity into Achievement, Earns Doctorate During Cancer Treatment

This spring, Lauren Dennis will walk across the stage at Kean University to receive her doctoral degree in speech-language pathology, a milestone she reached while undergoing treatment for stage-three breast cancer.

When Dennis began the program, she was focused on advancing her career and contributing to research. Just months later, she was suddenly navigating a life-altering illness while enrolled in a rigorous doctoral program.

“I was freaking out,” Dennis said. “What am I going to do? Am I ever going to get through this?”

But she never stepped away from the program. Instead, Dennis leaned into her studies and did not take a leave of absence. 

“I was here at Kean the whole time,” Dennis said. “I wouldn’t take back a single second because even though everything was happening at once, I feel so much stronger for it.”  

Dennis, a speech therapist in the Montclair Public Schools, had long envisioned earning her doctorate. She credits that ambition to her late father, Chandler, who encouraged her to pursue a doctorate. He passed away in 2018, hours before she earned her bachelor’s degree.

“He always told me that was something he wished he’d done,” Dennis said. “I knew I wanted to do it. I was thinking of him when I applied. I feel like he guided me to this program.”

Throughout her doctoral journey, Dennis found unwavering support at Kean, from faculty who checked in regularly to classmates who rallied around her during treatment. 

“My classmates actually made lists of things I could eat and ways to stay healthy,” Dennis said. “The people in this program gave me a lot of love and light during a time that was dark and scary.”

For her 30th birthday, which fell in October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dennis organized a cancer awareness walk, drawing members of the Kean community in support. 

Sarah Patten, Ph.D., program coordinator for Kean’s speech-language pathology doctoral program, participated in the walk wearing a pink cape reading “Lauren 30.”

“From the beginning, she was very proactive and positive,” Patten said. “She didn’t fall apart and never wavered from her goal of getting her degree.”

Even as treatments, surgeries and medical appointments mounted, Dennis stayed engaged in her coursework and worked closely with Patten to remain on track.

“She maintained a constant determination not to let this get her down and that she was going to beat it and get her degree,” Patten added. “It’s an immense achievement.”

Dennis also drew strength from a host of loving family members, including her mother Marisol, a cancer survivor, as well as her siblings, cousins and friends.

“I had the most amazing, beautiful village holding me up,” Dennis said. “Everyone made sure I knew I wasn’t alone.”

She completed her final radiation treatment on October 22, 2025. As Dennis looks ahead, she carries with her the experiences that shaped her journey and a determination she hopes others can see in themselves.

“You don’t realize what you’re capable of until you’re put in a really difficult situation,” Dennis said. “You’re stronger than you think.”