IDD@UGA: Autobiographical Statement
Studying in Santorini (Greece)
Educational and Work Experience
I only applied to one college. No one told me it was a risky path. In fact, my mom made me take a tour of Emory University in October of my senior year just to make sure -- and as soon as I stepped foot on campus I was in love; I knew it was home. I graduated in 2008 with majors in political science and women’s studies. I was drawn to political science because I believed optimistically that a political career would allow me to better the world. (Though after a series of internships I decided it was a dark, bitter path with a lot of compromising sacrifices.) I thoroughly enjoyed the interdisciplinary nature of the women’s studies program and through its courses I deepened my understanding of macro structures in a way that better explained the world around me. Immediately after graduating from Emory I fulfilled a would-be regret and participated in a study abroad program with St. Cloud State University, where family members had been attending college. I traveled to Italy, Greece, and Turkey and completed a graduate-level course in community studies, focusing on comparative city development in classical Europe and the United States. Just as I had fallen in love suddenly and without reservations with Emory, I fell in love with history. My time abroad was filled with healing and renewed in me a sense of wonder and hope about the world.
Upon return from abroad I began training with the Teach for American program in Atlanta, but I was quickly disappointed; I quit to pursue coaching debate instead. I began my teaching career at Marist School hoping to focus more on debate than on social studies, but over my time at Marist I came to love teaching as much, if not more, as coaching. My travel schedule for debate was so demanding that it was a burden on my personal life, so I moved to Mount Pisgah where I kept debate only as a class. I really grew as a teacher during my time at Mount Pisgah where I had a lot of autonomy over my curriculum. But, I ultimately realized that I sought a more progressive teaching environment, and in 2013 took a position teaching world history at the Galloway School. I have really loved the community of intellectualism at Galloway. As much as I loved teaching, I could never picture myself still doing it in my 10 year vision of life; I felt stuck with few options for "something bigger". I sought out the advice of a career counselor to determine what a next step might be - one where I would feel intellectually connected and would have opportunities for advancement based on my abilities. The career counselor and I determined training or corporate learning as possible career paths, and that graduate school was something I would enjoy immensely due to my passion for personal learning.
I have never doubted that I would pursue a graduate degree. But, having graduated college at the height of the recession it was not a burden worth undertaking at that time. After deciding to pursue a master's degree, my aunt put me in touch with her former classmate, Dr. Wendy Ruona; she and I discussed the differences in workforce education, adult education, and instructional design. I decided on instructional design because of the technology emphasis and the longevity of the field. A year into the IDD program I applied internally at Galloway to become a learning design specialist and have enjoyed the past year of my career in this role. I have come to realize, through doing my own classroom renovation, that I have a deep passion for transforming learning spaces as the basis for enhancing innovative learning practices, and hope one day to pursue a doctoral degree in this field.
I only applied to one college. No one told me it was a risky path. In fact, my mom made me take a tour of Emory University in October of my senior year just to make sure -- and as soon as I stepped foot on campus I was in love; I knew it was home. I graduated in 2008 with majors in political science and women’s studies. I was drawn to political science because I believed optimistically that a political career would allow me to better the world. (Though after a series of internships I decided it was a dark, bitter path with a lot of compromising sacrifices.) I thoroughly enjoyed the interdisciplinary nature of the women’s studies program and through its courses I deepened my understanding of macro structures in a way that better explained the world around me. Immediately after graduating from Emory I fulfilled a would-be regret and participated in a study abroad program with St. Cloud State University, where family members had been attending college. I traveled to Italy, Greece, and Turkey and completed a graduate-level course in community studies, focusing on comparative city development in classical Europe and the United States. Just as I had fallen in love suddenly and without reservations with Emory, I fell in love with history. My time abroad was filled with healing and renewed in me a sense of wonder and hope about the world.
Upon return from abroad I began training with the Teach for American program in Atlanta, but I was quickly disappointed; I quit to pursue coaching debate instead. I began my teaching career at Marist School hoping to focus more on debate than on social studies, but over my time at Marist I came to love teaching as much, if not more, as coaching. My travel schedule for debate was so demanding that it was a burden on my personal life, so I moved to Mount Pisgah where I kept debate only as a class. I really grew as a teacher during my time at Mount Pisgah where I had a lot of autonomy over my curriculum. But, I ultimately realized that I sought a more progressive teaching environment, and in 2013 took a position teaching world history at the Galloway School. I have really loved the community of intellectualism at Galloway. As much as I loved teaching, I could never picture myself still doing it in my 10 year vision of life; I felt stuck with few options for "something bigger". I sought out the advice of a career counselor to determine what a next step might be - one where I would feel intellectually connected and would have opportunities for advancement based on my abilities. The career counselor and I determined training or corporate learning as possible career paths, and that graduate school was something I would enjoy immensely due to my passion for personal learning.
I have never doubted that I would pursue a graduate degree. But, having graduated college at the height of the recession it was not a burden worth undertaking at that time. After deciding to pursue a master's degree, my aunt put me in touch with her former classmate, Dr. Wendy Ruona; she and I discussed the differences in workforce education, adult education, and instructional design. I decided on instructional design because of the technology emphasis and the longevity of the field. A year into the IDD program I applied internally at Galloway to become a learning design specialist and have enjoyed the past year of my career in this role. I have come to realize, through doing my own classroom renovation, that I have a deep passion for transforming learning spaces as the basis for enhancing innovative learning practices, and hope one day to pursue a doctoral degree in this field.
Goals/Objectives for IDD Program
During the IDD program I aimed to:
During the IDD program I aimed to:
- Solidify foundational educational theories and methods, for traditional learning, e-Learning, and m-Learning.
- Become comfortable with design concepts, especially those related to technology-based development.
- Position myself with skills necessary to be qualified for entry-level corporate instructional design positions.
Presenting my IDD project at the 2015 fall conference
Professional Objectives
As I continue in my career I seek to do one thing more than anything else: to empower educators with high quality, effective, student-inquiry learning strategies using intentionally matched technology so that students are drawn joyfully into lifelong learning.
The IDD program has provided me with a depth of research and examples of various learning strategies so that I feel confident when I advocate a particular strategy for a learning situation. When I have taught others a skill that I have learned, I have used scaffolded techniques used by professors to teach me that same skill. I feel more confident than ever about how learning works for different audiences and how teachers can do it well. I love my current job, but do hope to pursue a doctoral program in the field of learning space design. The IDD program has cemented my foundation for learning design - both physically and digitally.
If I were to make any chances to the IDD program one would be to have had more diversity of professors. Each professor that I did have brought such a unique background of real world experience, socioeconomic perspective, and beliefs about different learning strategies that I would have welcomed having even more professors, especially women or minorities. Second, while some professors gave intense and direct critical feedback that helped me improve as a student, other professors simply clicked on rubrics without providing much guidance for improvement. I really appreciated the professors that did take time to talk with me about my passions and about the content/skill that I was learning in a way that critically supported the learning process that I was embarking on during the program.
As I continue in my career I seek to do one thing more than anything else: to empower educators with high quality, effective, student-inquiry learning strategies using intentionally matched technology so that students are drawn joyfully into lifelong learning.
The IDD program has provided me with a depth of research and examples of various learning strategies so that I feel confident when I advocate a particular strategy for a learning situation. When I have taught others a skill that I have learned, I have used scaffolded techniques used by professors to teach me that same skill. I feel more confident than ever about how learning works for different audiences and how teachers can do it well. I love my current job, but do hope to pursue a doctoral program in the field of learning space design. The IDD program has cemented my foundation for learning design - both physically and digitally.
If I were to make any chances to the IDD program one would be to have had more diversity of professors. Each professor that I did have brought such a unique background of real world experience, socioeconomic perspective, and beliefs about different learning strategies that I would have welcomed having even more professors, especially women or minorities. Second, while some professors gave intense and direct critical feedback that helped me improve as a student, other professors simply clicked on rubrics without providing much guidance for improvement. I really appreciated the professors that did take time to talk with me about my passions and about the content/skill that I was learning in a way that critically supported the learning process that I was embarking on during the program.
Personal Vision & Philosophy
I am passionate about effectively utilizing student-inquiry learning strategies with intentionally chosen technology. As a teacher I aim to make students comfortable being uncomfortable, to hold high but achievable standards, to embrace 21st century learning skills (critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and cross-cultural understanding/citizenship), and to draw students joyfully into lifelong learning. I believe in preparing students to live successfully as enlightened citizens in a changing world with an emphasis on skills taught through content vehicles. I project that the future will continue to expand flexible learning options -- pedagogically and physical/digital -- where choice and voice are frequently given to students.
I am passionate about effectively utilizing student-inquiry learning strategies with intentionally chosen technology. As a teacher I aim to make students comfortable being uncomfortable, to hold high but achievable standards, to embrace 21st century learning skills (critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, communication, and cross-cultural understanding/citizenship), and to draw students joyfully into lifelong learning. I believe in preparing students to live successfully as enlightened citizens in a changing world with an emphasis on skills taught through content vehicles. I project that the future will continue to expand flexible learning options -- pedagogically and physical/digital -- where choice and voice are frequently given to students.