Professional Goals Statement
Leadership has made a major influence in my life as a student and a professional.
After researching and taking classes, I am ready for the opportunity to study for the
Masters of Arts in Higher Adult and Lifelong education (HALE) program.
One short term goal is to obtain my masters degree in the HALE program. My
passion lies with learning about the development of college age student and
administration at the university level. Since graduating with my Bachelor’s degree in
social work, I enrolled to be a lifelong education student and took my first class in spring
of 2007. I continued to be intrigued by the information I was learning in organizational
leadership and development class with Marylee Davis and took two more classes. My
second short term goal relates to my experience as a lifelong student, which is to utilize
and enhance my knowledge that I have learned thus far in the program. I want to gain
more insight as a professional into the HALE program with administration and
leadership.
My long term goal with the program is to investigate different research interest
areas. I have a general idea of interest in cultural/ethnic studies related to student’s
college experience. Hopefully with my acceptance into the HALE program, I will have
the opportunity to further a specific topic in this area. My second goal is to research
plans to obtaining my PhD in a field of studies one day. I would have the opportunity to
receive first hand experience learning from the teaching apprentices in the classrooms.
My experiences in the student organizations and leadership positions have
strongly influenced who I have became in my undergraduate career. Being a leader has
shaped my development as an adult and as a professional. During my years of service in
my undergraduate career, I was nominated to fill the position of student liaison to the
Board of Trustees. I was honored to serve my community during this position. The
experience triggered my perception to a potential career in higher education.
A program by the name of Maximizing Academic Growth in College, (MAGIC)
is another experience that shaped my career objective. This is the first job where I
realized the impact I could have in a career in HALE. MAGIC is a college adjustment
program working with incoming freshman multicultural students, filled with seminars on
how to survive and graduate college. I have worked with this program for the past four
years, and the most beneficial part of the job is creating mentoring relationships with the
students over the years.
Lastly, becoming a lifelong student has solidified my interests with the HALE
program and graduate studies overall. The leadership development class helped bring the
idea of applying to the program a reality. I learned about how the leadership roles from
my undergraduate career played in my life and how I can begin to utilize this knowledge
in the higher administration atmosphere.
The opportunity to study higher administration would contribute to one of my
career goals to help and give back to others. Education is a gift that I have received, and
the chance to help students obtain a piece of where they fit in the college atmosphere is
one of my objectives. The experience that I would receive in the HALE program would
help to attain and further my goal of helping students.
I chose to become a lifelong student to see the possibility of a career in university
administration, and started to envision where I fit in the area of leadership. The tools I
would learn through HALE, would contribute to my understanding of administration and
leadership roles related to the university. This has been a positive experience because I
have met influential professors and students practicing in the field of administration.
They have helped with my understanding of what a career in higher education would be
like.
In conclusion, The HALE program would help define my path to becoming
professional in the career of higher administration. The three graduate classes I have
taken through lifelong have immensely changed my journey in finding a professional
career I am passionate about. With an opportunity to study in the HALE program, the
education would provide the experience, leadership and knowledge to give the tools to
having a successful career in higher administration.