Georgia State Online is celebrating the successes of educators who have leveled up in their profession by completing online programs while teaching full-time. These two educators have managed all their responsibilities as both students and teachers and reaped the rewards:
Lindsey Hicks, EdD
Having earned her master’s degree and specialist in school counseling from Georgia State, Lindsey Hicks was already familiar with the university’s strong course offerings for educators. She returned as a student after many years as a professional school counselor and administrator to complete the Online Educational Leadership, Tier I Certificate.
Hicks, who had already earned her doctorate in educational leadership from Lipscomb University in Tennessee, needed to take courses at Georgia State to meet the Georgia Professional Standards Commission’s requirements for upgrading her teaching certificate to include educational leadership. She enrolled in the program because she was allowed to transfer credits from her doctoral coursework and complete her certificate with just four courses.
“The classes have been great,” Hicks said. “I’m happy with the way it worked out in the end.”
Though Hicks has worked as an administrator in private schools, she needed the certification to become a public school administrator, a role she intends to pursue in the future.
Currently, Hicks is a professional school counselor at Winona Park Elementary School in Decatur, Ga. As the mother of a 13-year-old son, she balanced her personal, professional and educational demands by staying organized with course deadlines.
“I have always been one to receive a syllabus, and then just kind of map out my project timeline based on due dates,” Hicks said. “That often means I work ahead, just based on how the logistics fall. But that strategy has just proven really well for me, both in this journey and in my doctoral journey.”
Of all the courses she took, Hicks was most impressed by instructional leadership.
“Dr. Rumbaugh, who is the coordinator of the program, was the instructor for my instructional leadership class this semester,” Hicks said. “It was a particularly meaningful course. I learned a lot from my classmates and some of the leadership reflections that we did were really powerful.”
Hicks will finish her certificate this spring.
Vanessa Louis, PhD
Vanessa Louis started out as a science educator when she joined Teach for America after completing her undergraduate degree in biology. With just five weeks of teacher training through the program, Louis began her teaching career. Knowing she wanted to improve her teaching skills, she chose to pursue her master’s of education through Georgia State Online.
“I needed pedagogy and tools and to actually know how to use standards,” Louis said. “I was doing my best, but I knew I could do better.
Georgia State’s flexible program allowed Louis to continue teaching full-time while earning her degree. She completed the program in just one year and enjoyed customizing her course schedule to meet her professional goals.
“I got to decide what my [course] frequency was,” Louis said. “I got to study what I wanted to study because I wanted to be a better science educator, and it just really opened my eyes to what practice looks like, which I hadn't been able to do in the past.”
Louis’ master’s program connected her with adviser Dr. Natalie King, who supported Louis throughout her educational journey and encouraged her to take the next step by earning her PhD through Georgia State. Though Louis was hesitant to start another degree, she ultimately chose to continue learning from Dr. King.
“She had made our master's program such an exciting place,” Louis said. “We all deserve a teacher like Dr. King, because she allows us to choose our path, supports our path and is there to defend us when people have something to say about it. Not a lot of us have that.”
Throughout her time at Georgia State, Louis balanced the demands of being a full-time educator and student. Her advice to other educators taking the next step toward earning an advanced degree is to make school a priority and communicate that to the people in their lives.
“I built a network of people who knew what my commitment to school looked like,” Louis said. “So what that meant was my partner, family, friends and employer all understood that school came first.”
After completing her PhD, Louis accepted her current position as a clinical assistant professor in educational studies at the University of Michigan. She credits much of her professional success to her time at Georgia State.
“It's a beautiful place,” Louis said. “It has some of the most qualified people as instructors. Nothing compares.”
Ready to earn an advanced degree in education? Reach out to an enrollment specialist today.