Dr. Alexis Gunartt, a Hinsdale resident and single mother of two, earned her Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from DePaul University at the school's June commencement.

Gunartt began the doctoral program when her sons were 1 and 3 years old, choosing DePaul's hybrid evening schedule so she could stay home during the day and save on childcare costs. She studied late into the night after her children fell asleep. "The two little boys beside me are a big part of the reason I never gave up," Gunartt wrote on LinkedIn. "They have been my motivation, my purpose, and my reminder of why pursuing this dream mattered."

Her path into education started when she worked as a substitute teacher at a local independent school after finishing a master's degree in nonprofit management, also from DePaul. "I felt like education was a way to impact the next generation," Gunartt said.

Her dissertation, "The Unspoken Struggles and Unseen Strength: An Autoethnographic Exploration of Single Motherhood in Higher Education," drew directly from her own experience navigating graduate school as a single parent. Her dissertation is available through DePaul University's digital library at via.library.depaul.edu.