Arizona State University- Application Essay
Briefly discuss why you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree at this time. What steps have you taken (or will you take) to ensure that you will be successful in the program?
Many of my current job duties center around creating trainings for our internal community of practice, the Professional Development Specialists. I’ve created some 50 training videos and over 160 other resources and yet I feel I really do not have the educational foundation to support my efforts. Except for one online course in Instructional Design Models, I have been- to put it bluntly- winging it. I am, however, proud of the work I have accomplished so far. After working in this field for almost three years, I have finally decided that this is the path that I want to be on for the rest of my career. Studying Learning Design & Technology would be an excellent place to start!
I was a good student while I was in undergrad, but I was still young, unfocused, and only had a semblance of an idea of what I wanted to do with my life. Now 17 years after graduating, I have learned a lot of life lessons, matured, made mistakes, and recovered from them. I finally know what direction I would like to move and have so much more focus than I did when I was younger. And after finding success in the Instructional Design Models course and in my certification for User Experience, I feel more confident than ever that I can tackle this program!
Also, in the late 1930’s, my grandparents both attended Arizona State University’s School of Education, (I believe it was called the Arizona State Teachers College at that time) and both graduated with their master's degree. My grandfather even played football under the legendary Dixie Howell. ASU has been a family school for as long as I can remember, and education has been a family value! My father passed last year and I cannot think of a better way to honor him than to attend his family’s alma mater and pursue higher education.
