1. SONIA JONES EDU 695 MAED Capstone

2. A LITTLE ABOUT ME Wife of a retired US Navy Seabee, mother of twins, who works full time as a Career Services advisor for a private creative college. In a previous life I was a luxury retail sales manager with over 20 years of experience in Human Resources, benefits, and people management. Last year completed my BA in Human Resources Management with Ashford University.

3. SPECIAL INTEREST Some of my special interest include physical fitness, long distance running, cooking and keeping up with my twins, I have a boy and a girl who just turned 11 Feb. 15th

4. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Currently working as a Career Services Advisor for a private college Have worked as an Academic Advisor for Southern Illinois University My goal is to move to the next level within my organization, and work within Student Services, or back to financial services. By having an advanced degree, especially in Education, along with 10+ years in management, I ‘ll be eligible for promotion. My focus is making changes based on the needs and feedback from alumni, academics, and industry professionals. The action research will provide working data needed to bring all parties to the same page.

5. REFLECTIONS Challenge I faced in coursework as part of the MAED program was Teaching, Learning & Leading in the 21st Century. I was a bit intimidated because I am not a teacher. I have worked only in a Staff position. I was nervous about lesson planning. I did have some challenges, but with the help of my instructor, and many YouTube lectures I was able to complete the course with an A. I discovered the skills used by instructors were really no different from a manager. Much like a store manager, an instructor’s behavior can greatly impact the learning potential of his/her students. The experience broadened my knowledge with a snap shot of the expectations of teachers within a classroom, and how they relate to their students, and their communication methods. Today I use a few of the techniques while conducting exit interviews with my soon to be graduates.

6. “THERE IS A LOT TO BE SAID FOR THE TRIED AND TRUE METHODS OF LEADERSHIP; PRACTICES THAT HAVE PROVEN SUCCESSFUL WITH SOME STUDENTS CAN OFTENTIMES BE APPLIED TO OTHERS EQUALLY SUCCESSFULLY” (ACSA, 2016).

7. LEADERSHIP AND EDUCATION One of the most important lessons from high school; the importance of the parent- teacher partnership. Open communication, coaching, and encouragement from both sides. Which I carry over into my relationship with the students I help now, and my own children I hope to move on to a higher leadership role within Educational administration, and advisement.

8. SETTING THE EXAMPLE Obtaining the MA in education, with a specialization in higher education will help me lead by example not only for the students I’m advising, but setting an example for my children. The instructor or advisor only opens a door to education, it’s up to the student to walk through it.

10. REFERENCES ACSA. (2016). LEADERSHIP FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW. RETRIEVED FROM ASSOCIATION OF CALIFORNIA SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS: HTTP://WWW.ACSA.ORG/NEWS-ITEM-5.HTML#NEWS- ITEM