Why I Want To Gain Professional Goals

Recently I read the book Start With Why by Simon Sinek and throughout my reading I had a realization about my professional goals. The book talks about how the most successful people and companies are functioning under the “Golden Circle” mindset, that you start with the “why” rather than the “what”. Essentially the idea is that you should do something because of your values and not just for the outcome (money for example). I’ve reflected frequently about my personal “why” and I’ve come to the conclusion that it is very important in not only my personal life, but in my future professional life as well.

I am an educator for over 10 years and want to return to academic study and undertake graduate studies in Educational Leadership at the University of Maryland, as part of the Prince Georges County Public School-University of Maryland STEM Leadership Program. The purpose of this program is to excel professionally and grow as an effective diversified educational leader.

For over 20 years, I have accepted higher education administrative opportunities that would allow me to advance to the position of President. My post-secondary experiences began as a community college student. My experience as a community college student led me to begin teaching for higher education institutions with two and four year degree programs. I taught traditional face-to-face classroom courses, hybrid and distance online education courses for over 10 years. My

Furthering my education will enable me to become eligible for leadership positions within the school district where I am employed as well as open up opportunities to teach at the college level. (My decision to attend graduate school at this time came after considering my academic background, experiences as an educator, and my ultimate goal of acquiring a leadership position ….)

My primary professional and personal goal is to remain organized and not stressed even under pressure or during unforeseen setbacks

I am applying to your master’s program in Educational Leadership for the fall of 2015. I am particularly excited about starting this venture in my life. Becoming part of an administrative team has been a dream of mine for a few years. I have decided that this will be the year that I will make those dreams a reality. I currently hold a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Nova Southeastern University. As I embark on this new endeavor, I cannot help but to reminisce about my days in college when I was deciding what career I would pursue.

I graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Soon following, I worked through Teach for America as an educator to help bring educational equity and excellence to under resourced schools. I aspire to influence students’ lives by helping local governments and nonprofit agencies fulfill their mission through research, data, and best practices. Eventually, I seek to impact policy as a research analyst for the National Center for Education Statistics.

It was during my college years where I realized how important my educators, professors, and advisors were to my professional development and personal character. In 2017, I was appointed by Governor Tom Wolf to become a member of Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education Board of Governors (BOG). It was this moment when I realized education has impacted me more than I had realized. As a BOG member, I assisted in setting Pennsylvania’s 2018 tuition, approving new academic programs, and interviewing and appointing university presidents and Pennsylvania State Systems new Chancellor. I was learning about education at the state and local level, expanding my knowledge of education policy, and learning educational management and leadership. I worked closely with faculty, students, staff, and administration on a daily basis all while attending classes, playing a college sport, and serving on multiple

It is my express wish to be considered and ultimately admitted to the Ed.D. program through University of the Cumberlands so that I may further my education in the area of K-12 public education. As an educator I try to live by the belief that we serve others to find purpose and as teachers we are trained to teach all students whether rich, poor or middle class but I think the key is to teach with special emphasis on serving the poor. It’s important to consider our decisions and how they may affect the least in society. Because of this belief, I have found my place in Title I schools for the past five years as a middle school English Language Arts teacher. While I love teaching English, I do possess a desire for stronger leadership and mentoring roles. My research interests stem solely from the issues, which are some of the more pervasive issues that have plagued the poverty stricken schools and student lives which I have been privileged to be a part of. Each school year passes with inadequate facilities/funding, data driven

When you are younger many times you will have someone ask you, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” And ever since I was a little girl I would answer, “Whatever I do I want it to help the world.” As I got older, it was evident to me that I wanted to become a pediatric oncology nurse. When I tell people this they have a certain expression on their face. They immediately begin to talk about how hard it will be to see young children go through such trialing events so early in their life. However, I decide to be more optimistic. Although I know that there will be times when I mourn over the loss of a child, I also see the light in the day where the child rings the bell declaring that they are cancer free. My goal as I

My professional goal is to obtain my master degree in Human Resource Management and to land a position as a Human Resource Manager with a prestigious company. My overall job interest in the field of Human Resource Management is the medical environment, a cell phone company, or a manufacturing company. My studies here at Walden University will prepare me for the overall field of Human Resource by allowing me to examine the overall work environment of this particular field. I would also be preparing to make HR decisions and examine the needs of all employees. I am confident that Walden University will prepare me to become a competent Human Resource Manger.

When I turn the T.V on every morning, there always a news segment of people getting murder, abused, or have gone missing. Tragic events like these aspired me to help find solutions and techniques on reducing these incidents. Growing up in a rough neighborhood, I have experience these events which is why seeking a degree from an established school like The University of Baltimore (UB) would be the greatest achievement I have ever accomplish. Obtaining a master’s degree is something I would not imagine applying coming from an unprivileged area where it is rare to even think education could be an option. UB will be the institution that will help me gather the necessities and resources I need to have a successful path to a career I desire and deep

The classes I took at the university also prepared me for my role as a leader in the Brandywine School District. I came into the district and observed the systems and leadership styles of district offices and at the secondary schools. My studies at the university helped me to determine in what way to work with each of the leadership styles I had encountered thus far. This was significant for my Educational Leadership Portfolio (ELP). I have had to match strategies for school acceptance and implementing instruction with the vision and leadership styles at each of the secondary schools in the district.

I am a born leader. Even when I am not looking for leadership opportunities they always seem to fall into my lap. My life has been one that is based on service to others, so I regularly volunteer for committees and extend myself to help others. It is important to me to be the best teacher I can, I regularly attend professional development sessions and implement my new learning in the classroom. However, upon starting the Teacher Leadership Master’s program at Lamar University, I was just beginning my career as a teacher leader. I had not had many opportunities to show leadership outside of my grade-level team. During team planning meetings, I normally directed the discussions. My coworkers looked to me for guidance and interpretation of the curriculum. I regularly made suggestions about teaching strategies. Additionally, I was a member of various campus committees including the Campus Performance Objective Committee (CPOC) where worked together with campus administrators and community partners to develop the Campus Improvement Plan. However, I did not view these tasks as leadership opportunities.

My purpose for seeking a Doctorate Degree in Educational Leadership is to expand my field experience, knowledge of theory and research methods as it pertains to education. I particularly want to hone my research skills since I feel that the significance of gaining research skills is crucial in order to becoming a life-long learner and developing intellectual self-actualization as I prepare myself for furthering in Education. I realize the importance of gaining credibility among my future colleagues and people that I will be serving in the field.