The Moment That Sparked It

I remember the moment clearly. I was in my seventh year of teaching, sitting at Grand Valley State University, watching my niece graduate with her Bachelor of Science. As I looked around, I noticed others receiving their master’s degrees and PhDs. Something clicked. It felt like it was time for me to return to school, not out of obligation, but out of curiosity.

The Easy Path That Did Not Fit

Many of my peers encouraged me to take the quickest, cheapest route. They reminded me that for teachers, a master’s degree often functions as a pay bump, regardless of where or what you study. Curriculum design or leadership were the common suggestions. The idea of simply “getting through” a degree rubbed me the wrong way. There are people who are meant to design curriculum, and people who are meant to lead, but neither path felt like the right reason for me to return to school.

Choosing Curiosity Over Convenience

If I was going to commit the time and energy to a master’s program, my goal was clear: I wanted to study something that would spark curiosity and deepen my understanding of how people learn and who they are. My teaching has always been connection, finding honest, human ways to know my students and meet them where they are. When that connection is present, learning follows. That is what gets me up and going to work each day.

Walking in My Fathers Footsteps

There is also a family layer to this story. My dad earned his Master’s in Education from Michigan State University, but never had the opportunity to fully pursue that path due to a family emergency that required him to take over the family business.

Finding the Right Program

When I began exploring Michigan State’s programs and discovered the Master of Arts in Learning Experience and Design, everything aligned. A program grounded in human-centered learning, social justice, and diversity felt like the right place to learn.

Learning About Learns

My primary goal entering the program was not to advance my career, but to better understand learners, their identities, behaviors, and experiences, and to create learning experiences that honor those realities. Over time, my coursework, readings, and assignments pushed me beyond surface-level engagement. I found myself buying books, reading more deeply, and questioning my assumptions. This intellectual opening has been one of the most meaningful outcomes of the program. What I want to get out of my master’s program is to improve instructional design to target my learners.

From Student to Designer

As I progressed, my goals expanded. I began experimenting with new ways to connect with students and reflect on how learning environments either invite or inhibit participation. I also joined my school district’s leadership team, where I now help shape professional development goals. While leadership was never an initial aim, the program helped me see how thoughtful design and human-centered thinking naturally extend into collaborative spaces.

A Growing Shoreline

My goals have not shifted away from connection, but they have deepened. I no longer see learning as something delivered, but forever evolving. I do not have a fixed end goal for this degree. What I want is simple and ongoing: to better honor who my students are, to help create good humans, and to continue challenging my own beliefs.

What This Degree is Really About

A quote that has long guided me feels even more true now: “As my island of knowledge grows, so does my shoreline of ignorance.” That growing shoreline fuels my curiosity and reminds me why studying what actually matters is never finished.