Application Essay for Doctorate in Education Program

All goals have a history. Sometimes goals come forth in a moment of epiphany; other times, goals reveal themselves gradually and are like a quiet whisper leading the way. My goals fall into the whisper category. Ask young children what they want to become when they grow up and you will often receive a lofty, and sometimes unrealistic, answer. Responses include football player, movie star, super hero, astronaut, fairy princess, and everything in between. I distinctly recall telling people that I wanted to be an ambassador. Where I got that, I don’t know. I knew nothing about the job except that an ambassador helped people learn to get along. As I grew older, my understanding of career choices grew along with me and I placed “ambassador” in with the group that contained fairy princesses and super heroes. In retrospect, I now know that “ambassador” was a whisper . I don’t believe I truly wanted to become an ambassador, but I did want to help people learn to get along and as a teacher and counselor, I have done that.I love school. I always have and I imagine I always will. As a young child, school was my haven. It was a place where I felt safe and secure and where I found escape from some of the more harsh realities of everyday life. School was where I lost myself in studies. I could easily become so immersed in a book that I actually felt part of the book. I can remember checking out a book from the school library for the first time. How exciting to be able to actually take a book home to read! This eye-opening experience expanded school for me, blurred the boundaries, and allowed me to carry school with me; regardless of where I was physically. I credit my decision to go into the field of education to my...

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... am grateful for the grace that has carried me so far and the small still whisper that leads me to press on and work toward becoming all that I can be. I know the challenges are great. I know there will be obstacles. I understand that this degree program will be demanding and will require a strong commitment from me. I am no stranger to hard work and I am willing, eager, motivated, and determined to reach my goal. Now that both my children are in college, I have more time available to pursue my passion for helping students. I still need something positive to keep my mind occupied and to help me stay engaged in useful and affirming activities. Earning this degree will serve more than one purpose. I am once again willing to make short-term sacrifices for long-term gains; especially for gains that help not only me, but those around me --especially the students I serve.