Thomas Sherrier ’26: From SPS Adviser to Student and Beyond
If you called the School of Professional Studies (SPS) enrollment advising team within the last couple of years to discuss a graduate degree in healthcare or the humanities, there’s a chance you spoke with Thomas Sherrier ‘26. Going forward, however, that’s no longer a possibility—after graduating from the Master’s in Healthcare Administration (MHA) program this past summer, Sherrier now works as an administrative fellow at Endeavor Health.
From SPS team member to student to proud alum, Sherrier is a prime example of how Northwestern’s online master’s programs help their graduates pivot careers to make their professional goals a reality.
First Impressions of Northwestern
When Sherrier accepted his new role as an enrollment adviser at SPS in early 2024, it was not his first time on campus. After earning his BS in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise from Virginia Tech in 2021, Sherrier taught high school science classes, including AP Biology, AP Chemistry, gym, and health.
During the summers, he worked as a staff member for the National Student Leadership Conference (NSLC), a pre-college residential camp that gives high school students the opportunity to experience college life and explore potential career paths. The third summer Sherrier worked for the NSLC, he was placed at Northwestern as the program site director.
“I lived on the Evanston campus from June to August, which is a perfect time to be there,” he recalls. “And funnily enough, I lived in the dorm that's closest to Ryan Fieldhouse, where the SPS graduation takes place.”
While he taught, Sherrier explored the possibility of medical school. “I was always interested in healthcare,” he says. “I just wasn't always sure where I fit into that process.” Ultimately, he determined that he did not want to become a physician, but the idea of returning to school still appealed to him. When he saw a posting for an open position as an enrollment adviser at SPS, he decided to take the leap and move from his home in Northern Virginia to Chicago.
Enrolling in the MHA
When he joined the Northwestern team in February 2024, Sherrier knew right away that he wanted to enroll in one of the part-time master’s degree programs at the School of Professional Studies; he just hadn’t decided which.
“I was looking at either the Master’s in Public Policy and Administration or the MHA. I wasn't sure which one, but there’s no better way to learn about the programs than to represent them during your job,” he jokes.
Following the advice he gave to other prospective students, Thomas explored the course topics for both programs and ultimately decided that the MHA was a better fit for him. In the spring of 2024, he applied, was accepted, and enrolled in classes for the summer quarter.
The 12-course MHA curriculum features courses in HR, finance, data, quality, marketing, leadership, and operations to give students a well-rounded perspective on all the facets of healthcare administration. Of all these topics, Sherrier found himself most drawn to quality and operations.
“A really big asset of Northwestern's program is that all of our faculty are working full-time in the area that they teach, so I emailed the professor from my quality course and asked to chat about what a career in healthcare quality would look like,” he says.
This professor, Dr. Cynthia Barnard, spoke with Sherrier and put him in touch with several colleagues in related roles at Northwestern Medicine, which ultimately helped him select operations as his preferred sphere.
But just because he’d narrowed down his career goals didn’t mean Sherrier had cleared every hurdle. Completing his coursework in addition to his full-time job and his hobbies as a live music enthusiast and leader for the Chicago chapter of the Endorphins running group was certainly a challenge, though not one beyond his abilities. “The professors were very understanding of the fact that my peers and I had day jobs,” Sherrier notes. “A lot of my classmates had children, have families, and other commitments. But this was something we all wanted to make time for, so we did.”
Expanding His Network
One of Sherrier’s favorite aspects of the MHA program was the connections he made with the faculty and fellow students, who Sherrier calls “impressive.” He notes that everyone in the program with him, from career changers to seasoned industry professionals looking to get ahead, brought their own valuable experience and perspective to the classroom.
To make the most of his time in the program, Sherrier also opted to join the executive board for the Health Program Student Leadership Council, which brings together students from SPS’s Global Health, Health Informatics, Healthcare Data Science, and Healthcare Administration master’s degree programs through professional development, thought leadership, and social events.
John Stroebe, faculty adviser to the Student Leadership Council, became a great resource for Sherrier. Stroebe taught the first class Sherrier ever took in the MHA program, TA’d two of his other courses, and eventually served as the adviser for Sherrier’s final capstone on increasing the practical use of health system biorepositories. Now, Sherrier considers Stroebe a friend and mentor, but he acknowledges that taking the first step in this kind of relationship might feel intimidating at first: “It can be really scary to send that initial email or ask someone for a coffee chat, but it’s so important to connect with people now because we're all going to be the leaders of healthcare in the future.”
Beyond Northwestern
The fellowship application process for summer 2026, when Sherrier was due to graduate, began in spring 2025. Having fallen in love with Chicago, Sherrier knew he wanted to stay in the area, so he applied to several fellowship programs in local health systems. He describes the applications and their multiple rounds of interviews as “challenging,” but found support through the connections he’d built in the MHA.
“A couple of my professors had done fellowships previously in their careers,” he says, “so I was able to connect with previous fellows from other health systems in and outside of Northwestern. People in my program were also great about providing me letters of recommendation and looking over my resume and personal statement.”
After completing a series of three interviews with Endeavor Health, Sherrier was offered the sole annual administrative fellowship for the organization’s nine Chicagoland hospitals. In this prestigious one-year program, Sherrier will build practical experience in all facets of healthcare management, working alongside senior leadership on diverse, real-world projects and developing his own management skills in preparation for his next role.
Sherrier presented his capstone project to a panel of healthcare executives and walked the stage alongside his fellow MHA graduates at SPS’s convocation ceremony in Evanston in June 2026, then began working at Endeavor in July. Though his departure from the enrollment advising team was bittersweet, his colleagues at SPS could not be more proud of his accomplishments.
For his part, Sherrier reflects fondly on his time as an employee and student at Northwestern, and he’s looking forward to a meaningful career in the industry he’s felt drawn to for so long:
“My biggest hope is that I end up in a position where I can improve the patient experience, where I can help patients be more comfortable seeking care—and make that care more accessible to them. I'm excited to continue my learning journey through my fellowship, and I think the MHA program has really set me up for roles where I can make a positive community impact.”
Northwestern University School of Professional Studies offers many degree and certificate programs, with evening and online options available. To learn more about how Northwestern University's Master's in Healthcare Administration prepares graduates to advance their healthcare careers, fill out the form below and we will be in touch with you soon.