Before even beginning in this program, my goals were clear: succeed in any high-level education position, be a positive leader, and gain a breadth and depth of knowledge applicable in everyday life. These were goals articulated before the reality of graduate school set in—that the immediacy and presence of overarching goals falls to the wayside while one is inundated with homework, due now. Of course these goals have been a guiding force, but in a much less self-reflective way than I originally imagined. Which, in thinking about it, is okay. It's better to be swept up in the process, no?
The goals I hold today are only different in nuanced ways, in that they are integrated and specific: gain a depth and breadth of applicable knowledge that facilitates my successful existence as a positive leader, propelling me forward in my career towards higher (and higher) positions in education. The transformation from three compartmentalized notions into one mega-goal did not happen overnight. In fact, it happened in a little over a year. In coordination with my career transition, from early childhood education to higher education enrollment management, my goals shifted. Yet, at the core, they stayed fundamentally the same.
Through my time in Michigan State University’s Master of Arts in Education program, I have gained immeasurable knowledge—from leadership, to finance and budgeting, to creative lesson planning for the smallest of students. The variety of coursework available through the program has undoubtedly facilitated my intense educational exploration and complemented it well. Through the flexibility and variety within this graduate program, I was able to explore pertinent fundamentals, my "now," which was teaching kindergarten. Simultaneously, though, I was able to explore my distant interests, my "then." This brought me to the position secured immediately following this program: working at Scripps College. As a first-year admission counselor, the role was the perfect launching pad for my goals established before, and during, this degree-granting program. Through applying my MAED learnings to that role and all roles moving forward, my positive leadership can shine through. In turn, I hope it leads me on a path towards success in the world of education--leading to bigger, and higher, opportunities.