The goal of this qualitative study was to learn more about how online Ed.D. students are persistent and resilient in pursuing their academic goals during the Coronavirus pandemic. With the ongoing pandemic and remote learning circumstances, doctoral students are facing more challenges they must overcome to stay on track with their academics. More specifically, the researcher sought to understand what doctoral students believe are their biggest barriers to completion during the pandemic. To do so, the researcher interviewed 10 current students in the program who were within six credits of completing their program course requirements in order to learn more about their persistence and the factors they felt contributed to keeping them motivated and optimistic about maintaining a growth mindset, despite pre-existing and new pandemic-related challenges they encountered. Understanding students' potential barriers to completion can help with future implications for practice within the program and the implementation of necessary student resources for support. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]