My Admin Program Admission Essay
I’ve always been a problem-solver. Whether the problem is simple, or complex—for me, there’s no greater satisfaction than engineering and implementing a viable solution. This predilection has served me well professionally, enabling me to be successful in leadership roles.
Time and experience have proven that it’s more impactful to solve problems closer to the source, as this can save time, money, and needless frustration.
In my twenty-year career in the technology industry, I started as a Customer Service Representative. In this role, I solved problems for customers who had reached a boiling point of frustration. Over the years, I was promoted to the Director level, where I had the privilege of setting policy, designing products, and managing both people and processes. In this role, I believe my professional decisions prevented a number of problems from happening altogether—and kept customers from reaching that boiling point.
I left the Technology field in 2009, and started a new career in education. In this career, I started as a special education teacher with no leadership responsibilities. I was empowered to solve problems in my classroom, but had no ability to solve systemic problems taking place outside the classroom. In education, there are quite a few systemic problems that waste time, cost money, and create stress! I had a strong need to solve these problems, which is why I decided to start climbing the institutional ladder.
Over the past six years, I have accepted more leadership roles. I am currently Special Education Department Chair, serving a team of twelve teachers and twenty-five paraprofessionals. I also serve as Vice President of our School Site Council, and as Wellness Coordinator for my school site. In these roles, I am empowered to solve problems—but my authority to do so is limited. As a peer to those I serve, I am forced to rely upon my powers of persuasion to solve problems; however, I am finding this is not effective enough. I need more authority in order to solve problems and create positive change.
I decided to become an Administrator in order to replicate the experiences I had as a Director in the Technology field. I want the ability to stave off problems before they occur, by setting intelligent policies, managing processes, and helping other educators reach their maximum potential. My immediate goal is to become an Assistant Principal with Palm Springs Unified School District, my current employer. I chose Western Governors University to help me realize this goal, based on the strong recommendation of my husband, who is a current student. I also appreciate the flexibility of an online program, which enables me to complete courses at my own pace.
Throughout the course of the program at WGU, I want to further refine my leadership skills, and master the components of the California Administrator Performance Expectations. These include developing and implementing a shared vision, providing instructional leadership, managing learning environments, engaging families and communities, and demonstrating integrity.
For my practicum school site, I chose my current school site, Desert Hot Springs High School. I chose this site because of the rapport I’ve established with the current administration, and my familiarity with the unique issues faced by the school. DHSHS is a high-poverty school, where more than 90% of students receive free- or reduced-lunch. Our academic performance, particularly among English Language Learners, is among the lowest in the district. The school has a high degree of teacher turnover, low levels of parent/community involvement, and the highest population of special education students in the district.
My clinical supervisor will be Assistant Principal Arthur Sanchez. During my practicum with Mr. Sanchez, I expect to learn many things, but perhaps most importantly, I expect to learn how to develop a shared vision that will enable the team to solve the issues faced by DHSHS.