Letter of Intent

For the past 2 years I have been working alongside a graduate from the Creativity and Change Leadership Masters program, Lena Scapillato. Lena and I often bounce ideas back and forth about students, curriculum, and our personal lives. She often thinks through every possibility when she is problem solving and has helped me sort out parent communication, seating charts, lesson plans, formal observations, and so much more.  She has become somewhat of a mentor to me and she is seen as a leader by many other teachers in our School for the way she facilitates our school’s Foundation’s Team. Working with her and seeing first hand what she is able to apply both inside and outside the classroom from her experience in this program has driven me to pursue the same degree.

As an art teacher myself, I am often working through problem solving and idea generation with my students and their personal projects. In fact, idea generation is part of my curriculum. It is my responsibility to teach my students how to generate ideas on their own when I present them with a question or even a project. I see students who have no clue where to start or have too many ideas that are overwhelming their focus. I know my students respect me and look to me for help but sometimes I feel like I am struggling to help procure an answer right away. I am ready to learn the skills I need to navigate the challenges I am faced with daily in my classroom. 

In my own career as a teacher I have been working hard for the last two years to get on my feet since I started my position.  I feel I have figured out my curriculum well enough where I am not spending hours after school making lesson plans and I am now running an after school club a few times a month. It’s going to become time for me to begin taking on leadership roles within the community of my school. Whether that means becoming part of a team of teachers, part of the union, or head of the art department; I want to practice the skills and confidence necessary to take on new roles that will benefit the students and staff around me. 

Outside of my career as a teacher, I am co-founder of a collective that has cultivated a community of local artisans and vendors, AVA Collective. We host multiple events throughout the year to give the small business community a space to showcase what they make and do. Through this we also cater to the broader community of shoppers who appreciate locally made goods. We also try our best to spread the word to folks who may not know about the skilled makers in their own backyard. Even though my friends and I have run this collective since 2018, we are constantly problem solving and creatively thinking through new and different situations that involve social media, marketing, customer service, networking, speaking on local television, and oftentimes issues that haven’t even come up yet in our experience running our business. I know that the techniques taught in this program would be beneficial to this area of my life where I also need to be a leader and effective communicator. 

Although I am not sure what the future holds beyond what I have outlined here, I do know I would be better off with a master’s degree in creative studies and all of the experience and skills that come with it no matter where my career takes me and outside of my career as well. From what I have heard about this program from my peers, I believe it would be a good fit for me. I have always been a person who enjoys learning and finds pleasure in any opportunity to be creative. I am also someone who is constantly reflecting on my struggles and successes; I am not afraid to ask those above me for advice and make the changes necessary to do better. I crave nothing more than to be a confident leader and mentor to my students, my peers, and my community. Obtaining a master’s in the creative studies would be a critical building block to realize that future.