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AABA - Graduate
BBA with a concentration in Human Resource Management - Graduate
MBA with a concentration in Human Resource Management - Current Student
What made you decide to continue your education?
I wanted to better myself and not to be a secretary for the rest of my life. My past employment experiences also included working for the school system as a coach, teacher's aide, and nurse's aide and at times acted in the role of a teacher. I loved the students, but it was time for a change and I wanted to earn a higher salary. My colleagues often stressed to me that I am a people person and that I could become a great supervisor some day. Their encouragement helped me to rethink my career goals and I had a great vision for myself to attain a higher quality of living through upgrading myself professionally.
I live on a Navajo Reservation where 50% of the Navajo Indians are unemployed and very few professional people are working. I wanted to be an independent person where I could sustain myself and live the American dream. This dream made me decide to continue my education. Furthermore, I wanted to be a role model for my people and as a role model, it is important for me to carry myself as a professional person.
What steps did you take to continue your education?
One evening, my husband and I had a discussion about our life goals. I wanted to obtain a degree and to open opportunities to obtain better paying jobs. I went online to understand more about degrees offered through online education. Now my concern was how I was going to pay for my education. I felt the AIU Online website was warm and inviting and I completed the proper paperwork for AIU by submitting an essay and enrolled. This was a big step for me in fulfilling my dream in earning a degree. I was excited when AIU Online accepted me in my degree program.
What led you to choose AIU Online and your degree programs?
What led me to choose AIU Online was the flexibility of the institution. The Virtual Campus was easy for me to access, textbooks were delivered to my home address, individual and group assignments were all within my range of work. I also could complete my degree programs more quickly than the time it would take me at a traditional university.
I choose my degree program because I am a people person and I have the desire to lead and manage an organization. I started with an Associate's degree in Business Administration, continued on to earn a BBA with a concentration in Human Resource Management and currently, concentrating on my MBA degree with one course to go. I am self-disciplined, motivated and within our Navajo Indian reservation, we need leaders that have the uniqueness of upholding the leadership traditions in an organized professional manner. We do not have many individuals on the reservation with experiences in human resources and I would like to make a difference in providing the organization with the most current up-to-date employment laws and hiring of qualified applicants on the Navajo reservation.
How do you feel your degrees are helping you in your career?
My degrees are helping me to advance in the professional world. Recently, I became a Human Resource Specialist with Antelope Point Marina in Page, Arizona. I oversee 200 employees in various departments within the marina. This position has been a dramatic change from my previous position as a secretary for a school district. The Marina is in its development stage. Right now, I am the only person in my department and within months, we will be hiring more staff in the HR department. My position is growing and the sky is the limit.
In addition, my degrees helped me gain knowledge in human resources, which I immediately applied in my current position. I implemented a hiring and termination packet for the organization. I was able to use my new skills to develop an evaluation tool that my organization is currently utilizing. I have also conducted numerous trainings and meetings on how to operate an efficient organization across the Navajo Reservation.
So...what's next?
I plan to take some time off from school, but would eventually like to return to school and obtain my doctorate degree. Being the oldest sibling, with two younger brothers and three younger sisters, I am the first one in the family to get this far in school. I am extremely proud of myself that I have come this far. My siblings have seen what I have accomplished and I hope that their children look up to me as their role model.
My grandmother, known as the "Laughing Woman" was a big influence in my life, she encouraged me to continue my education and never to give up in accomplishing my goals.
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The sky's the limit and anything is possible when you put your mind and heart into it.
—Perphelia Fowler |
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