Integrated Essay
INTRODUCTION
Halfway through my fifth year of study at George Mason University (GMU), I have greatly enjoyed my journey in the doctoral program thus far. I took a variety of courses that relate to my academic and professional goals. In addition, I participated in one academic conference with other students in the consortium with similar academic goals. This enlightening experience provided me with a taste of presenting my research, and allowed me to network with other scholars. I have not yet published a scholarly work in a peer-reviewed journal, but I hope to do so in the near future. Other short- and long-term goals will be discussed in the final section of this integrated essay. Prior to doing so, however, I will seek to make connections among my experiences in the doctoral program and discuss how professional activities have tied into these experiences.
INTEGRATION
My background prior to entering GMU was very diverse, but also unfocused. My undergraduate studies dealt mainly with television production and French, while my Masters degree was in Curriculum and Instruction. In addition, being the daughter of two Haitian immigrants, I had a strong interest in helping people from my parents’ homeland. The doctoral program at GMU allowed me to draw upon all my interests, and I was able to settle upon a proposed area of research prior to my entrance interview: Haitian struggles concerning education. This allowed me to intermingle my commitment to help fellow Haitians with my professional skills in the field of education.
Once I was accepted into the program, I approached each course as a different lens under which to examine my area of research. Mostly, I sought to expand my review of literature; however, each class provided new food for thought, and allowed me to enhance my body of research in unique ways. My first experience dealing with information relevant to my dissertation began in “Introduction to International Education” in Fall 2008. It was there that I learned about international mindedness, among other concepts, which contributed to the moral compass fueling my research.
In addition to adding to my theoretical and conceptual frameworks, the research often provided me with useful strategies to address educational challenges. These contributed to a new purpose, which I uncovered in Fall 2009. In “World Perspectives of Teacher Education,” we were presented with several options for a summative performance-based assessment. The option that interested me the most was that of a grant proposal. I had minimal experience with grant writing in my independent study class for my Masters, but had never written one of my own. However, the challenge greatly interested me, so I wrote a grant for a nonprofit organization that would allow for bilingual tutoring and afterschool mentoring for Haitian youth, to help facilitate the transition from the home culture to the host culture. Once I had completed the project, I decided to keep it as a future goal after my completion of the doctoral program.
In my Portfolio One review, I was presented with some helpful advice, that my proposed dissertation topic of “Challenges Haitian Youth Face when Entering U.S. Public School Systems” was too broad. Previously, I had narrowed the topic into three major areas, linguistic difficulties, social inconsistencies, and migration stress, but I was advised to pick one of the three. Initially, I was leaning towards the social challenges; however, in the fall of 2011, I took a class on Second Language Acquisition Theory, which I found highly relevant to my area of research. It was after taking this class that I decided to focus on linguistic challenges, because the work of many researchers whom I had repeatedly cited suddenly became more significant once I understood their theoretical frameworks (i.e. Suarez-Orozco, Ladson-Billings, Katz, and Hudicourt-Barnes).
Having narrowed my focus, I am ready to take on the next stages of my studies at GMU. The further I progress, the more confident I feel in my abilities as a scholar and researcher. I am very excited at the prospect of more coursework, as well as my internship, which will allow me to refine these skills even further.
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Over the course of the last five years, my studies at GMU and my professional life have overlapped in several ways. Perhaps the most obvious is my current position in a French-immersion school, which tends to attract francophone families, including Haitians. Although the students of Haitian descent at my school are all second-generation, an existing rapport with their parents can help to build connections once it is time for the data collection phase of my research.
Additionally, when I entered my current school, I was asked to serve as Technology Coordinator. Although I had always had a strong interest in computers, I was rarely given the opportunity to utilize my technical skills as a classroom teacher. However, once I was in contact with the Technology Training Team as a liaison between the school and the region, new developments began to occur rapidly.
First, I was asked to spearhead a team of teachers and administrators to compete for inclusion in the Sharing Technology with Educators Program (STEP), a countywide initiative that would provide our school with new technical equipment and skills in order to engage students in new and exciting ways. We were selected to participate, which we did for two years, gaining new competencies in podcasting, web design, and digital storytelling, among other areas.
Next, I began receiving invitations to present at annual professional conferences, for which I applied. Since 2008, I have presented at the Prince Georges County Public Schools annual Powering Up with Technology Conference, the Capital Region Society for Technology in Education, and the Maryland Society for Educational Technology. The topics presented have ranged from an overview of the STEP to Discovery Education programs to video podcasting.
In between conducting these presentations, I participated in the Technology Leadership Academy, a year-long intensive course offered by my school system to prepare trainers to instruct technology courses for certification professional development (CPD) credits. Since completing the academy, I have taught three of these courses after school, and am scheduled to teach another in the Spring semester. These experiences, although in a different area, will help to prepare me for future academic presentations, as well as adult instruction opportunities, in my area of research.
GOALS
My future goals for my studies at GMU can be grouped in two categories of short-term and long-term goals. More specifically, short-term goals pertain to activities that I hope to accomplish prior to graduation, while long-term goals involve post-graduation activities.
In terms of short-term goals, as stated before, I would like to publish in a peer-reviewed journal. Regarding the aforementioned overlap between academic and professional goals, last year I was asked to write a technology piece in a publication from the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition. This article was supposed to detail the technological tools that we used at our immersion school, as a result of STEP, to facilitate the retention of the French language among students. However, the opportunity fell through because of time constraints among other factors. If presented with the chance again, I feel that the next time will most likely be successful, because the experience taught me about potential pitfalls in the publication process.
Similarly, I plan to attend more conferences during my stay at GMU. The first conference with other international education students was very informative, and I have kept in touch with many of the people that I met there. Perhaps one day, they will be future collaborators and/or colleagues. During my classes, I often heard people speak of the annual AERA conference. In the immediate short-term, I plan to sign up for a student membership, and perhaps this year, I will attend their April conference. Next year, I will submit an application to present, and will also seek additional speaking opportunities.
Also within the year, I plan to complete my internship requirement. I had initially started during the summer of 2010, when I had signed on to design and teach online professional development courses relating to the utilization of technology to meet the needs of diverse learners, with special attention given to ELL students. However, my mentor cancelled the courses because the minimum requirement of students was not met. Currently, I am looking for other opportunities, preferably within an established organization, so that my plans are more likely to succeed. I have done some preliminary contact and am waiting for responses from several Haitian community-level organizations. These entities, as well as others serving the multicultural community, can help lay the foundation for data collection, and build connections for my long-term goals.
I also hope to enter into academia or pursue a career in multicultural staff development after graduation, teaching courses relating to my areas of expertise. Although conducting CPD training for teachers in technology-related fields has provided me with valuable knowledge in adult education, I would like to teach a course in my research area prior to graduation in order to gain more experience relevant to my career plans.
As my coursework at GMU approaches the end, I realize that I am not the same person who entered the program. I have grown as a scholar and as a researcher, and now have the blueprint to make a difference in an area in which I am very passionate. However, as stated above, there is still a lot of work to do when it comes to realizing my goals. I am eager to continue my journey, and hope to grow by leaps and bounds before the next portfolio review.
