Dress || Blazer || Heels || Bag || Sunglasses
This summer was an absolute whirlwind! I got married, went on a two week honeymoon in Italy, and moved from Florida to NYC. If that wasn’t enough on my plate, I also decided to finish up my Master’s degree. I obviously love being married and exploring my new city has been such a fun adventure, but getting my Masters is what I’m most proud of. That journey started in early 2016 when I enrolled at the University of South Florida in their Reading Education program. I was in my third year of teaching and had finally decided what I wanted the next steps in my career to be. I’ve learned so much from this program that instantly made an impact in my classroom.
This all wouldn’t have been possible without my parents. Growing up, the narrative was never ‘if’ you go to college, but ‘when’. After I graduated from FSU, it shifted from not ‘if’ you get your Masters, but ‘when’. I think my parents are finally ready to let me take an academic break, but because of how they always made education the priority, I notice myself saying not ‘if’ I get my doctorate, but ‘when’.
With moving to New York, the career path that I thought I was on had to take a little bit of a shift. I’m switching from the public to private school sector and have to learn a whole slew of new policies and standards. It’s a detour, but I see how many different new avenues are available to me here. I have new local colleges to research and programs to look into. If I let myself really daydream, I think about making policies for NYC schools or even at the UN. Who knows, if you keep reading my blog for long enough, you might even get to see me become Doctor Kennedy.
I’m a firm believer in being a lifelong learner. There is so much power in admitting to, “I don’t know, but I sure want to learn.” My husband often comments on how I ask a lot of questions when meeting people for the first time. I’m curious by nature and like to learn as much as I can. I teach that to my students and it’s important that I practice what I preach. Even if I don’t get my doctorate, you can bet that I won’t stop taking college classes and trying to be the best I can be in my teaching life.
What is something that you want to learn more about? It could be for your personal life, your professional life, or just for fun. Indulge and allow yourself to be a lifelong learner. It’s a little step that can help you be your best self.
Love from NYC,
Katie