I DID IT!

There were a number of times when I didn’t think I would make it., especially on this last quarter of classes. But here we are and I am but a few hundred words away from being able to say I AM DONE!

This last year of this program has been incredibly challenging because not only was I learning about how to be an effective leader and administrator in class, but I was living the challenge as well as I settled into my new role as Director at work. So, many of the areas that we have been studying, I was living and while this first-hand experience came in handy many times, there were also plenty of times where my career trumped school. There were many times where I had to dedicate more hours or more time and attention to ensuring my students, staff and families were taken care of and their need being met and I could not dedicate that necessary time to class, assignments and studying.

But, I did it. And what I have taken away from this particular capstone project is that I can see a vision to fruition as long as I am committed and dedicated to see it develop, flourish and prosper. I also learned that there is also a bevy of support available for any goal you may hope to accomplish, it is up to you to however to seek it out and utilize it, and finally, I learned an area of focus that is very important to me-which is ensuring our young children of color have a support system in place and an equitable opportunity to succeed despite their immediate barriers (lower-income housing, single-parent households, institutional and societal racism).

One of the immediate goals I hope to accomplish is to simply survive the first semester of my Doctorate program. Once that is complete, I know that I am on the way to achieving my greater goal of providing high quality education and equal access to high quality education for all.

To Dr.Teri and all of my colleagues in the program and this capstone course: it has been a wonderful journey getting to know most of you and as our cohort moved through the program, it has been a tremendous experience seeing how much we have all learned. Dr. Teri, you are truly committed to seeing us succeed and again, while it seemed difficult at times, you kept us going and wouldn’t allow us not to succeed. From food poisoning to dental surgery, the month of July was a very difficult one for me, but I did the best I could and knowing I can do better, I will take that and apply it to my Doctorate program.

 

International Communities of Practice

UNICEF has always been an organization that I respected because as I was growing up, one of the parents of my childhood friends worked at the NY headquarters for years. She often came into our classes and did presentations on the type of work that she did and the work that UNICEF did. One of the areas that UNICEF focuses on is basic education and gender equality through early childhood education and school readiness (2012). At this point, there doesn’t appear to be any positions available that I would be interested in applying for, however there are a number of different areas in which I would be interested in working: education in which I would be responsible for implementing education programs to ensure overall efficiency and effectiveness, social and economic policy, where I would work with governmental agencies and partners in the design and implementation of key areas of policy work including child poverty, budget policy, social protection and other areas and how they impact women and children and finally, human resources always appeals to me because it involves planning and staff development (2012).
UNESCO is another organization that has appealed to me because of their mission and goals. Based on their website, UNESCO seeks to promote dialogue among civilizations, cultures and peoples, with a foundation for respect for commonly shared values (2013). With a mission to contribute to building peace, eradicating poverty and sustaining development and intercultural dialogue through education, focusing specifically on Africa and gender equality, UNESCO works to foster cultural diversity through education, which is an area that I am incredibly passionate about. As a specialized agency of the United Nations, working for UNESCO means a commitment to education, science, culture and communication. Their ultimate candidate is someone who can be considered an expert in their field, who believes in dialogue, someone who promotes multiculturalism, and who embraces mobility. There are opportunities for professional careers at UNESCO based on varying tiers of knowledge and responsibilities, from Junior Professionals to Middle-Ranking Professionals to Management Professionals (2013). Unfortunately, there are no current postings available.
The Legacy Center of New York City is a Community of Practice committed to providing opportunities for development, educational programs, providing access to resources and guidance in reaching financial stability (2010). While they are a locally based organization, their work exceeds international boundaries as their work often includes visiting other countries and educational programs for immigrants, as well. They offer a number of educational programs that appeal to me because their goal and their mission is to provide support to ailing communities. This COP also appealed to me because their Executive Director is a childhood friend of mine. Knowing his base as a humanitarian and the work that he does within the local community and in developing countries, this was an easy choice for me to select as a international COP. Unfortunately, there are no current opportunities for employment at this time, however as I expand my educational base and prepare to enter my Doctorate program, I would welcome the opportunity to serve as a member of their Board of Directors.