Today, Ailish was scheduled to write the CMA Entrance Exam.

Last year, she decided that she really needed more education to progress at the City of Edmonton. She had advanced quickly through the ranks there, but her Bachelor of Commerce degree would only take her so far. Ailish loved the whole strategic management part of her job, so the CMA seemed like a good fit.

It didn’t matter that she already had a busy life. It didn’t matter that she worked long hours, that she often went out for dinner with friends, that she preferred sleeping in on weekends. CMA was for her.

So began an eight month prerequisites course. Classes all day on Saturday, weekly quizzes, regular assignments and exams. And somehow, she was able to fit it in without compromising the rest of her life. Friday night dates were still on.

Ailish finished the prerequisite course earlier this year and did well on the final exam. She was attending weekly entrance exam prep classes to get ready for today. I have absolutely no doubt that she’d have done well on the entrance exam as well, and then there would have been two more years of classes, quizzes, assignments, and exams before she would have become a Certified Management Accountant.

When she set her mind to a task, she wouldn’t let anything stop her. It didn’t matter if it was the CMA program. Or running a half marathon. Or moving in with me. Whatever. Ailish made me so proud.