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My mom named me with three A’s for a reason. Outside of loving the character Alexis on the soap opera Dynasty, she envisioned a life where I would always be first. And that I was! First seat in the class, first one in line, and first to answer questions posed by my teachers. My name carried a responsibility that I’ve taken seriously. And, up until recently, I’ve taken on jobs that mirrored the expectations of my full name. From teacher, to teacher coach, to district mathematics director, to principal- I’ve done it. And my goal was simply to make a difference by giving the best possible instruction to students in under-served neighborhoods every single day. In the past year, my goals have changed. I am excited to share what my ultimate dreams are as they relate to my master’s degree which are grounded in interview preparation, emotional intelligence, and a personal project that uses mathematics every day!
My first goal relates to the hiring, interviewing, and decision making team that I work with to determine which candidates will lead our future schools. How many people get the opportunity to further their career and education? I see it as a privilege I’ve been afforded and one of my future goals is to create opportunities for people to advance and develop as leaders, particularly those people who may not have access to the career enhancing tools that I’ve been able to benefit from, including resume writing and mock interviews. There have been tons of studies done, including this one, that confirms my concern about lack of access for certain groups in our society. My experiences in graduate school reminded me of the power in education and exposure to social norms that can make or break someone’s interview success rate. Through my role in recruitment and hiring, I am eager to be the bridge for people who have the drive to do what is best for kids, but who may lack the exposure to experiences and opportunities we’ve all had to get ahead. And, when people are able to increase their quality of life and live in their purpose they are better members of society.
My second goal is to become an expert at emotional intelligence. One of my favorite readings in graduate school came from How People Learn. In the text, there were many studies done that helped me understand more about the brain and memory. It pushed me to consider if the same level of research had been done on emotions. Knowledge about content specific topics have clear pathways into the brain, but what about how we express and respond to emotions? Emotions have a correlation to our reactions and our motivations. And more importantly, emotions help us decide how to treat others. I’ve done work in the program related to motivation, and learned so much! Outside of graduate school, I’ve reflected a lot on my results from Emotional Intelligence 2.0, which provides an assessment of self-awareness, social awareness, empathy, and relationship management. Could you imagine a world full of emotionally intelligent managers? That is the world I want to create, so that employees feel understood and are able to do their best work for students each day.
Finally, I hope to become financially free through real estate investments. This has absolutely nothing to do with my graduate degree, or even my role as a Leader Recruiter for that matter, but it is something that brings me so much joy on a personal level. In some ways it connects to my love for math- solving problems, creating formulas, analyzing our return on investment. My partner and I spend time calculating how much flooring is needed in a shotgun New Orleans property, or which contractor is the best in regards to pricing. We see it as our little passion project that we can share together which is a ton of fun. We are both business nerds at heart!
To summarize, my goals are to provide access to opportunities, build my expertise in emotional intelligence, and put my mathematical problem solving to work in real estate. Collectively, I want to make things better, from humans to houses. My journey through graduate school has been a life lesson. I’ve recognized that being first doesn’t always mean you need to push yourself beyond comfort. It means you have the power to shape the world in a way that no one else can. How awesome is that?
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