My Personal Goal Journey, Am I There Yet?
Two years ago I believed I was at a crossroad professionally. Before reaching that crossroad I had accomplished my initial goal of acquiring the knowledge necessary to be an effective financial aid officer. Pursuing higher education was intended to position myself specifically for higher education financial aid. But, by the spring of 2010 my role as a financial aid officer felt stagnant and not as effective as it could be and I believed I wasn’t performing to the best of my ability for the university, our students and their parents. As I stated in my personal goal statement for the MAED program, the mission of MSU Office of Financial Aid is to “provide access, aid and advisory services for the MSU community to facilitate student recruitment, enrollment and retention at Michigan State University.” Much of this I have done, but recruitment, enrollment and retention seemed to allude me with the knowledge I had at that time. I wanted to become an integral component in a leadership role within financial aid organizations, both statewide and regional. I also desired more personal responsibility in facilitating our mission statement. Consequently, I felt the MSU degree program in education, specifically P-12 School and Postsecondary Leadership, was the correct path to follow at that crossroad.
In contemplating where I was two years ago and where I am now, much has happened personally, professionally and educationally. My daughter has married finally giving me a son-in-law; I have developed substantially in my career giving me the honor of becoming the Office of Financial Aid Ombudsman. This added responsibility is in no small part due to my continuing education and what I have learned in this program, specifically with a better understanding of the needs of the MSU community. I have yet to realize a more substantial role in financial aid organizations, but really, who has the time? My involvement and enjoyment in the MAED program at MSU has spurred my interest in continuing my education beginning in the spring with a 2nd BA in Psychology, which I believe is another crossroad to my final personal goal statement, “I am a motivated individual and once I have set course on a task it is imperative that I do my best for my employer, for my professors, my fellow students and for myself.” I believe I have succeeded with this task, but I am still not at the finish line.
In contemplating where I was two years ago and where I am now, much has happened personally, professionally and educationally. My daughter has married finally giving me a son-in-law; I have developed substantially in my career giving me the honor of becoming the Office of Financial Aid Ombudsman. This added responsibility is in no small part due to my continuing education and what I have learned in this program, specifically with a better understanding of the needs of the MSU community. I have yet to realize a more substantial role in financial aid organizations, but really, who has the time? My involvement and enjoyment in the MAED program at MSU has spurred my interest in continuing my education beginning in the spring with a 2nd BA in Psychology, which I believe is another crossroad to my final personal goal statement, “I am a motivated individual and once I have set course on a task it is imperative that I do my best for my employer, for my professors, my fellow students and for myself.” I believe I have succeeded with this task, but I am still not at the finish line.