Originally from Gainesville, Florida, my home of twenty-one years, I moved to Jacksonville, Florida to attend the University of North Florida to pursue a bachelors degree in business management. After a month of searching for a job I needed income so I outsourced to creating my own business, Rent-A-College-Kid, doing small and odd jobs. While it was awesome working for myself and meeting new people, it was not sustainable going to school full-time. My desire was to work on campus while completing my degree.
Alas, I scored an awesome job at the Center for Instruction and Research Technology (CIRT) as a Distance Learning Assistant and little did I know this would become my new home over the next 6 years. In this position I grew my technical, customer service, and networking skills. After completing my bachelors degree, CIRT offered me a full-time position as the Coordinator of Online Learning Support (a newly created position). This opportunity showed me how much I appreciated and enjoyed working in higher-ed. During my time as the Coordinator of Online Learning Support, I worked and completed my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in Management. After completing my MBA, the Coordinator of Training position became vacant so I applied and received the position! This position has grown my skills even more in the technical and customer service field but also in other area like pedagogy, faculty training, and more.
This current position has helped me learn more about Instructional Design and how beneficial it is to the students, faculty, and the university. My mother is an instructional designer as well and she has helped spark my interest in pursuing the instructional design field. The more I have learned the more interested I have become. So interested that I am pursing a Instructional Design certificate from the Online Learning Consortium (OLC). I am expected to complete the certificate program in June of 2019.
