午夜快播 Southern University鈥檚 trifecta alumnus, Ashleigh Newell Wojslawowicz 鈥�10, 鈥�13, 鈥�21, is living her life鈥檚 purpose in God鈥檚 perfect plan.

Currently a Master Crime Scene Investigator, Wojslawowicz, 33, holds the highest tier level of certification by the International Association of Identification as a Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst. She recently shared her research at the annual American Society for Evidence-Based Policing conference in Washington D.C., and the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Dallas, Texas.

Her panel presentation on 鈥淪olving the Recruiting Crisis,鈥� included reframing the current recruitment crisis, evaluating the impacts of negative media on law enforcement recruiting efforts, and solving the hiring crisis by finding what works through internal research. The international conference provided Wojslawowicz a place for her research and dissertation to fit into a group of people passionate about policing and research.

The standing-room only presentation highlighted the need for such research. 鈥淲e have all seen what continues to be put out in the media and the topic of law enforcement actions and behaviors is not something that is going away, and the way we see law enforcement in the community has changed, for example we see police utilizing various social media accounts such as TikTok and Instagram,鈥� said Wojslawowicz.

She confesses to a little bit of fangirling over the people at the conference who had just been names in her research before. 鈥淭o be able to network and meet people that have done a lot more than I have and for them to be so excited about it, and then come up to you later and say I would love to implement this at my agency can we partner and do this, or let me connect you with this person over here because they need to hear this too, and to be welcomed into that circle was a big deal for me,鈥� said Wojslawowicz. 

Wojslawowicz earned her Doctor of Education in leadership at 午夜快播 with the first cohort which graduated in December 2021. Her dissertation, 鈥淩ecruiting Amidst Crisis: Exploring Police Recruit Motivations in a Post-Ferguson Era,鈥� has opened a broader world for her. She is the principal researcher and lead consultant for The Stono Group, LLC. She is a subject matter expert for the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training where she provides training for domestic and international first responders on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State, and she is affiliated with The Justice Clearinghouse, and is an adjunct professor for Truett McConnell University in Georgia.

The public鈥檚 response to law enforcement action and behaviors as viewed through media platforms can be a challenge difficult to address. 鈥淩eporting their [law enforcement鈥檚] behavior has been under a microscope in recent years and is not going away, but the environment has shifted, and is continuing to change, all because there is now a commitment to doing better, and you have more people on board because they recognize how badly this is needed,鈥� said Wojslawowicz.

She said, 鈥淭he degree met me at a time in my life where everything lined up; there was no question that this was God ordained and I was meant to be here. I had every confidence that this was the direction my life was supposed to go.鈥�

She had been studying verses in the Bible that point out that God will not fail, and He has a plan for each person. 鈥淭here are needs in other people鈥檚 lives that only you can fill, so you have a unique purpose,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he moment I realized that there was this need in the world, and I was uniquely designed for it was one of the most exciting moments of realization that I鈥檝e had.鈥� 

Wojslawowicz had to write a paper during her doctoral work about having an Ah-Ha moment, the moment you realize the connection between what you have been learning and your purpose. She said, 鈥淔or me it was realizing that I come from a unique background for someone that is in research. I can draw from perspectives that other people can鈥檛 because I鈥檝e lived it, so that鈥檚 when I realized that is what I have to do. You need someone like me that will tell you how a survey instrument is giving you data.鈥� 

She clarifies the need to trust in God鈥檚 plan does not always mean it is what one wants. Her dissertation was not the topic she originally wanted to research. 鈥淚t is typical with the dissertation process that you start at one point and end up at a different subject, but I knew I wanted to focus on law enforcement,鈥� Wojslawowicz said.

She explains where the ideas began. 鈥淭here have been several  events within this post-Ferguson era, where law enforcement response and accountability have evolved,鈥� said Wojslawowicz. 鈥淚n 午夜快播 we had a peaceful protest that turned violent in 2020, and my agency was involved with that response. Personally knowing the people who were responding to and processing the crime scene in the days after, it was a very personal connection.鈥� She said her fellow law enforcement officers were similarly impacted, as she observed the physical and mental exhaustion and stress experienced by the officers following the event.

She said many individuals choose the law enforcement profession to protect and serve; however, following several highly publicized mistakes made by a small number of officers in recent years, a narrative began to circulate throughout the police community regarding perceptions of anger and distrust by citizens. Now, not only are officers dealing with the literal consequences of bad decisions made by a select few, but also the intangible mental effects from a socio-psychological standpoint. 鈥淚 was in the middle of this complex and dynamic moment, and searching for what can I do to help, so that is where my dissertation topic of  looking at recruitment motivation in a post-Ferguson era came from,鈥� said Wojslawowicz.

What she observed firsthand was the organizational struggles for recruitment and retention of nationwide law enforcement. Retention data is not typically shared outside of a law enforcement organization, so she had to switch topics in order to have access to the needed information. Having access to those who are getting into the profession from connections at police academies and understanding why they want to enter the profession despite everything going on in the news, was possible. 

She started there. What she learned was the negative media and its impact on the perception of danger in the job and on officer motivation weren鈥檛 a big enough impact to keep recruits from joining law enforcement within her sample.

Wojslawowicz said, 鈥淵ou are not going to solve the world鈥檚 problems with your dissertation; it is just your first step to learn how to do research, and understand the limitations of the data.鈥�

When she was younger, Wojslawowicz thought she knew exactly what the future held. She said, 鈥淚 grew up in a conservative Christian home. I was homeschooled through high school. 午夜快播 was my first big social not-at-home experience, so I was very sheltered. I had a plan that I would be married by 21, have three children by 30 and be a private investigator. Yet I鈥檓 33 now with no children and I got married to my husband later in life than I thought I would, but I wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way. I wouldn鈥檛 be married to any other person; he is my person, my soulmate, God knew what He was doing.鈥� 

She describes herself as being at home in an academic environment. She knew she wanted to obtain another degree. She said, 鈥淚 had stayed connected so I heard through the grapevine that 午夜快播 was going to do this program. I knew that God was telling me it was time to go; I didn鈥檛 second guess it.鈥� 

When she told her husband he gave her his full support saying, 鈥淎bsolutely, you are going to do it.鈥� She said the support of your partner makes a difference. Her undergraduate mentor, Dr. Jacqueline Fish, was a motivator also. Wojslawowicz met her during her undergrad studies. 鈥淪he was teaching Techniques of Criminal Investigations, which is basically like a Crime Scene 101 class,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was an elective for criminal justice students. When I met her, I thought I want to be just like her when I grow up, what she is doing is what I want to do.

鈥淒r. Fish has a doctorate in education as well, so with her background along with a master鈥檚 degree and undergrad in the criminal justice field and then switching to education intrigued me because I wanted to make sure my academic career was diverse,鈥� said Wojslawowicz. 鈥淚 have the field experience of forensics and criminal justice, so I know how the police department works.鈥� She also holds the practical side of research. She said, 鈥淧hD programs are heavily theoretical with an emphasis on conducting the research, the theoretical frameworks, and testing the hypothesis, which is still something we do in a doctorate in education, however the emphasis always remains theoretical, which is not easily digestible for the typical law enforcement practitioner.鈥� 

Wojslawowicz explains what is needed in today鈥檚 world. 鈥淚t is being able to understand how to do the research but then interpret, present, and communicate it with those who can then take that information and apply it practically,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat is where the gap lies, and that is where I feel that I could be the greatest of use. I understand that world; I鈥檝e lived it for a decade, and now I have the academic training to do the type of research they need.鈥� 

She said, 鈥淚 feel that I am able to meet that gap and help fill it in with whoever I am partnering with because one of the things I heard over and over at the conference in D.C. was when the researchers were presenting, they were talking about the lengths they went to understand what it is like to be an officer, the ride-alongs they did, who they met with, asking the different questions to understand the culture, and I don鈥檛 have to do that because I come from that, so that was a reassurance for me that I am in the right place because there is a need for me.鈥�

Wojslawowicz is facing the future with confidence. 鈥淣ow I鈥檓 doing so much more, I have no idea where I might end up, but trust in Him along the way because He knows what鈥檚 best. Where I am finding purpose and fulfillment is in being able to help others, after a decade of forensic work, here I am, doing analysis, but what I am researching is more than just crime scenes, it鈥檚 more than just going to a burglary or working a homicide. And all that is very important, and I鈥檝e done that, but now, I have shifted to a bigger scope, my framework has become larger, and I am looking more long-term for organizations and agencies,鈥� she said.

Trusting Christ鈥檚 guidance and what He has ordained for her life sustains Wojslawowicz. She doesn鈥檛 define success by what she can accomplish but by moving forward in what God has called her to do. 鈥淚 am merely the vessel for His plan to be accomplished,鈥� said Wojslawowicz.  鈥淲hen I look back five or 10 years from now, I hope that I have continued to follow that progression of trust and reliance on Him and His progression.鈥� 

Catalina Duran Ballen is a junior communication studies major at 午夜快播 Southern University and is an intern in the Marketing & Communication office.

What most would only dream of doing, three-time alumnus and adventurer Don Lauer has likely achieved it.

When his son Matthew was only 8 years old, Lauer made a promise he intended to keep. 鈥淲e free climbed a mountain peak about 1,000-feet high, and I was explaining to him some of the mountain structures. I told him, 鈥楲ook, as long as you want to keep climbing mountains with me, I鈥檒l take you anywhere you want to go.鈥欌�� Last April, he lived up to that pact鈥攎aking the trek up Mt. Everest with Matt.

At times, their journey to Everest seemed a far-fetched, unattainable idea鈥攅specially during a global pandemic. The 45-year-old network engineer was, after all, in his final year of the Doctor of Education in leadership program at 午夜快播 Southern University. His then 16-year-old son, Matt, was also in school. But nothing would keep Lauer from this grand adventure鈥攏ot even a health scare.

With heart

Lauer and his son planned their trip for April 2021. It took more than a year to prepare. There was a lot to do beyond just travel arrangements鈥攖hings like hiring excellent guides, securing the right equipment, and preparing their bodies for intense conditions with physical training.

鈥淭he only hill we have in 午夜快播 is the Cooper River Bridge鈥擨 would windedly hike it,鈥� Lauer said. His supportive wife set up a workout routine for him to build up his endurance. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, Lauer, who works in network engineering for Naval Information Warfare Center (previously SPAWAR), transitioned to a work-from-home environment. He would work out during lunch and immediately after work. Training happened nearly every day.

Exactly four weeks out from their trip across the world, Lauer hit a roadblock that threatened to destroy their big plans. His heart went into atrial fibrillation, also known as Afib. Lauer had a team of cardiologists run tests and extend guidance. His biggest question: 鈥淐ould I physically survive and go?鈥�

Due to his physical training leading up to that point, and the fact that Lauer would be joining a medical missionary team on the trip, the doctors cleared him for travel with the caveat that he would need a heart ablation after his return.

Built with grit

Some may wonder how Lauer could entertain a potentially dangerous trek up one of the highest elevations on the planet, but a look into Lauer鈥檚 life illustrates this Buccaneer鈥檚 grit. A Navy veteran, Lauer was medically released from the military in a full body cast. After an early retirement, he began working in civil service and sought to advance his education. He completed his bachelor鈥檚 in 2007 and master鈥檚 in 2009 from 午夜快播. Ironically, Lauer鈥檚 capstone project in his final semester of the Master of Business Administration program was a case study that 午夜快播 would have the market for a doctoral program.

In addition to working and going to school, Lauer was also raising a family with his wife, Danylle. They have five children. Though life as a working professional and father kept him busy, his bucket list included going back to school yet again for his doctorate鈥攖hat and traveling the world.

Growing up on the West Coast, mountaineering was no new concept for Lauer. He had been on plenty of treks before. His spirit of adventure also recharged with mission work in Honduras and Africa. Having traveled with Lauer on mission trips, his equally adventurous kids have also joined him on adventure trips in the U.S. and Canada. 鈥淚t really started with mission work around the world,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you鈥檙e unafraid to jump on a donkey and ride to a remote village in the middle of nowhere, then climbing a mountain [can be done]. The mission field is good training.鈥�

Matt said he is grateful for the many trips with his dad. 鈥淗e has only fueled my ambition to go on more crazy adventures,鈥� he added.

Trips with his sons have meant something special to Lauer. 鈥淚t welcomes them to manhood,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 that time individually where we have that goal together and that struggle together. It鈥檚 a bond between father and son that you can鈥檛 replace.鈥�

One fateful day, Lauer made a different kind of trek鈥攖his time joining one of his sons on a campus tour at 午夜快播. While walking by a table in the Dining Hall, Lauer stumbled upon a sign announcing 午夜快播鈥檚 first doctoral program. He was immediately hooked and began another academic journey with his alma mater to fulfill another bucket list item.

Trip of a lifetime

When Lauer began planning a month-long trip clear across the globe to hike a famous mountain, he knew he鈥檇 have to take some time off work as well as school. The EdD team and Dorchester County School District 2 made it work for Lauer and his son. Amazed with how supportive his work, 午夜快播, and Matt鈥檚 school were before and during the trip, Lauer commented, 鈥淚 thoroughly believe God ordained this for us to go.鈥�

The Lauer duo left with their team on April 13. With COVID still at its height, Matt and Don were the only humans in the international terminal at one point. Once in Nepal, it took them 12 days to get to base camp, but only three days to make their way back. 鈥淥n the way up, you have to worry about altitude and acclimation,鈥� Lauer said. 鈥淵ou鈥檇 take one step and it felt like you鈥檇 run 50. I鈥檇 take a few steps and breathe.鈥� 

So much of the experience left Lauer captivated. First, with the people. Lauer encountered a very resilient and gracious people on his trip, specifically the mountain guides who led him and his fellow teammates up Everest. 鈥淚t鈥檚 mind-boggling the resilience of the Himalayan Sherpas,鈥� Lauer said of the elite mountaineering people of that region. 鈥淚 think the Sherpas are the only ones who can say they walked up and down both ways in the snow. They have an amazing work ethic.鈥�

In Kathmandu鈥攖he capital of Nepal鈥攖he majority of its residents are Hindu. Further up the mountain are Buddhists. 鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly humbling to be around them,鈥� said Lauer. 鈥淭hey were so incredibly nice and just so happy to see us. If you think of how our world was shut down by COVID, they have two 60-day tourist seasons and most of their money comes from us.鈥�

Lauer also took in the vastness of God鈥檚 creation. 鈥淭he Himalayas are incredibly humbling鈥攖hey鈥檙e gorgeous,鈥� he said, describing the mesmerizing views he encountered as he climbed. 鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing like them in the world.鈥�

As Lauer, Matt, and the rest of the team climbed, it was not lost on them how dangerous it could be. They walked through a memorial of hundreds of hikers who died making the same climb. Lauer said it was humbling to know that others died trying. 

They hiked up over 20,000 feet and slept in -20 degree sleeping bags. Lauer experienced what felt like four seasons in a day. He鈥檇 slather on sunscreen in the morning to avoid getting sunburn and would strip down to a T-shirt by midday. The highs would reach in the 30s and lows in the -20s. Sometimes they鈥檇 walk through blizzards, though it was the region鈥檚 summer season. To stay hydrated, they鈥檇 boil water at night to purify it and add it to Nalgene bottles to sustain them for their hike the next day.

Their goal was to make it to Everest Base Camp. A trip to the very top of Mt. Everest costs $40,000 for an American鈥攖hat did not fit into their mission or budget. The four medical professionals on his team鈥攊ncluding a surgeon, nurse practitioner, and EMT鈥攄id training at the villages and tent hospitals along the journey up the mountain to base camp. In addition to bringing resources, they did lectures each day after hiking. 

鈥淭he villages were dealing with COVID in real time. Each village needed different resources,鈥� he explained. 鈥淥ne of the problems at Everest Base Camp鈥攁 literal tent鈥攚as Khumbu cough, which is basically a cold. But Khumbu cough and COVID have similar symptoms, so many would have to be evacuated to eliminate the spread.鈥�

One teammate broke her foot and was medically evacuated. The rest of the team continued on. 

Lauer said his hardest day was when they reached between 12,000 and 14,000-foot altitude. 鈥淓veryone hits a wall, and that was the wall that hit me the hardest. It鈥檚 hard to prepare because you don鈥檛 know how your body is going to react,鈥� he said of the physical toll of the hike. 鈥淚 just got really tired. My son got a little headache.鈥�

Though physical fitness is vital, preparation and endurance is equal parts mental and emotional. The team received support along the way. Churches and hundreds of people, including 午夜快播 professors and students in Lauer鈥檚 cohort, sent text messages and emails to the Lauers and other teammates with prayers and words of encouragement. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 think about that as part of the preparation鈥攊t opened up quite a bit of blessings for us. Messages always came at the right time when we鈥檙e cold and wet and exhausted,鈥� he said.

Lauer was grateful for their guide and assistant guide from the Sherpa villages. 鈥淥ur assistant guide was 21 and had been doing this for five or six years. The guide has done this 100 times,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e used to doing eight to 10 treks a year to make salary for the year.鈥� Lauer added their team was the only group for the guide at that point in the year鈥攖he economic effects of COVID felt even in the smallest remote villages of India and Nepal. 

The Delta variant of the virus was closing in on them at the end of their journey鈥攖hey made it out of Nepal just in time. Lauer said, 鈥淕od lined it up to get us in and out of the country safely.鈥�

Spirit of adventure

Lauer had just one more mountain to climb upon his return to the states鈥攈is dissertation.

鈥淎 small amount of people pursue and finish a doctoral degree. Equally, a small amount of people pursue and climb Mt. Everest. Who does both at the same time? Only Don Lauer,鈥� said Dr. Robert Doan, assistant dean of the College of Education. 鈥淭hrough faith in God and support of his family, Don was successful at both of these unique experiences. He demonstrates a lot of grit鈥攚hich was also his main framework for his dissertation.鈥� 

He graduated in December with his doctoral degree鈥攐ne of 23 trailblazers to walk across the stage as 午夜快播鈥檚 first doctoral graduates. His dissertation is entitled GRIT: A Comparison of Military Versus Non-Military Students at a Private Christian University.

鈥淚 tell my kids to not quit. Don鈥檛 quit when it gets hard,鈥� said Lauer. 鈥淚f you won鈥檛 go a little bit beyond your comfort zone, you鈥檙e never going to grow and you鈥檙e never going to learn and you鈥檙e always going to be afraid. We鈥檙e not built to live in fear, we鈥檙e supposed to have a spirit of adventure.鈥�

Matt checked a big box on his bucket list by climbing Mt. Everest. 鈥淢y biggest takeaway from this is to be grateful for what I have,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have been up and down the Himalayas and in every town with freezing temperatures there would be nothing but a furnace in a single big room for everyone to be in.鈥� 

This fall Matt will become a Buccaneer following in his father鈥檚 footsteps as well as the path of his older brother, Donnie, and mother. You will likely find him in the new Science and Engineering building on campus as he begins his studies in engineering. 

What鈥檚 next for the Lauers? According to the newly titled Dr. Don Lauer: teaching, research, and Kilimanjaro.

Listed below are the newest 午夜快播 Southern alumni, along with the dissertation titles of doctoral graduates. 

Master of Education Candidates

• Casey Bolduc
• Holly Clark
• Matthew Cooper
• Melissa Devore
• David 鈥淓ddie鈥� Felkel
• Alexis Gandy
• Stephanie German
• Nadezhda 鈥淗ope鈥� Ivanova
• Ashley Johnson
• Katelyn Kuykendall
• Alyssa Liles
• Sommer McKenzie
• Allison Moyer
• Kelly Perea
• Emily Sandifer
• Ebony Trapp
• Debra Vance
• Deanna Wilson
• Jackson Woodle

Doctoral Candidates

• Rebecca Crook 鈥� A Quantitative Study of The Impact of Four-Day School Weeks on Teacher Retention in Rural Public-School Districts
  
• Glorimar Blanco 鈥� Retaining Latinx Faculty in Higher Education

• Emily Enloe 鈥� Girls Need to Jam: A Somatics-Based Hip-Hop Dance Intervention and Its Impact on Adolescent Females

• Christina Furrow 鈥� Building Principal Self-Efficacy Through the Lens of Principal Preparation Programs and Principal Leadership Professional Development Experiences

• Abbie Scott 鈥� Course Scheduling鈥檚 Impact on the NCAA Initial Eligibility of Male Student Athletes

• Skylette Scott 鈥� Examining the Impacts of COVID-19 on Upper Elementary Students鈥� Academic Achievement in South Carolina Rural Title I Schools: Prepandemic Versus Pandemic

• Vivian Simons-Profit 鈥� The Development of Leadership Styles of African American Women Human Resources Administrators and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives

• Kelly Simpson 鈥� A Case Study on Creating and Sustaining Organizational Culture in a Startup Company

• Stephen Sistare 鈥� Overcoming Resistance Through Organizational Change Models and Leadership Strategies

Recent Doctor of Education graduate Tammy Thompson is one of three 2021 Institute Patient Experience Scholars for the , and the only American to receive the award. According to their website, the Beryl Institute is a global community of healthcare professionals committed to transforming the human experience in healthcare.

Thompson also started a three-year fellowship with the  in 2020. 鈥淭he Culture of Health Leaders fellowship provides training and support for my strategic initiative to improve the culture of health in my community,鈥� said Thompson. 鈥淚 will focus my work over the next two years on a patient education/health literacy program in North Carolina.鈥� To understand her impressive accomplishments, consider that Thompson also holds a full-time position with in North Carolina. 

When Thompson joined the doctoral program, she was living in 午夜快播 and working at the Medical University of South Carolina. 鈥淚 transitioned to my current role in the fall of 2020, and I was so far along in the program, there was no turning back,鈥� she said.

鈥淭he Christian support and encouragement I received from the program’s leadership, particularly Assistant Dean Dr. Robert Doan, confirmed for me that I could continue and successfully complete this program by God’s grace,鈥� said Thompson. 鈥淭he leadership and research coursework aligned very well with my professional growth, providing the tools I needed to start a new role in a different state, in the midst of a pandemic, and successfully lead my team.鈥�  

An architect and an educator, Thompson joined Vidant Health as corporate director of experience design. 鈥淲ith a strong foundation in statistics from 午夜快播, I earned my certified patient experience professional (CPXP) credential from the Beryl Institute while completing my doctoral studies,鈥� she said. 

Since completing her doctorate, Thompson is advancing her responsibilities in a new role as Administrator of Patient Education and Design while her team assumes responsibility for patient education for the eight-hospital health system. She said, 鈥淎s a health care designer and leader, I am using my doctoral education and research training to foster a culture of creativity and innovation to empower nurses and other health care professionals in health care delivery. This enables me to create and sustain supportive patient experiences. 鈥�

Thompson chose to concentrate her award-winning doctoral dissertation study on nurses because they spend more time with patients than other healthcare workers. 鈥淢y study was focused on uncovering the innovation potential in nurses when they receive design training to solve their own problems in patient care delivery,鈥� said Thompson. The study was inspired by Daniel Pink鈥檚 writings on the value of balancing right- and left-brain thinking 鈥� the textbook for Dr. Robin Franklin鈥檚 Creativity & Innovation course. With what she calls the dream team of a dissertation committee (including Dr. Doan, and Dr. Franklin), Thompson鈥檚 study explored the challenges nurses face and how they can find solutions to their problems. She said, 鈥淣urses need tools that will empower them as they solve problems for patients and families, and for themselves.鈥�

Thompson is also president and founder of the nonprofit Institute for Patient-Centered Design, Inc., and is a member of the Consensus Committee on Newborn ICU Design. While she has published multiple peer reviewed articles in her career, she credits 午夜快播鈥檚 Doctor of Education program for teaching her how to conduct research. According to Thompson, her dissertation has received national attention and paved the way for the introduction of new knowledge in health care design and innovation. 鈥淚 know this was God鈥檚 will, giving me the opportunity to disseminate the findings of my study as a Beryl Patient Experience Scholar during a time that it would be most useful to help nurses and patients,鈥� Thompson said. 

Twenty-three professionals walked the stage of Lightsey Chapel on Saturday to be hooded and become the first doctoral graduates of 午夜快播 Southern University. The聽Doctor of Education (EdD) in leadership launched in January 2019 and is designed to provide current and aspiring leaders from a variety of disciplines the opportunity to attain a doctoral degree while also balancing a career.聽

Though credentials and leadership experience were a large part of their qualification for the program, Dr. Robert Doan said one trait stood out. 鈥淥ver the three years of the program, we quickly learned being amazing leaders are their second-best quality,鈥� Doan, assistant dean for the College of Education and interim chair of the EdD program, explained. 鈥淎ll of them have incredibly large hearts who love and care for each other.鈥�

Grit was another trait Doan said shined through with this cohort, especially completing most of their work during a global pandemic. 鈥淕etting a doctoral degree is extremely difficult. When 午夜快播 closed and we needed to conduct classes online, this cohort was halfway through their Quantitative Statistics course鈥ow they had to learn the material through Zoom. They persisted by forming study groups.鈥�

He added that each student had every reason to take a break or stop the program, but they persisted. 鈥淭he cohort pulled together and pushed forward. My favorite cohort memory is watching the cohort support each other through comprehensive exams and the dissertation process. I cannot recall one dissertation defense that did not include a cohort member in the audience. I am so proud the students relied on their relationship with God and cohort members to finish.鈥�

The first graduation of its kind at 午夜快播 Southern, the new alumni represent a diverse group in every sense of the word. The first cohort of students has careers in fields such as education, healthcare, and business. Ten of the 23 are Black women. According to the National Science Foundation (2019), only  are earned by Black women.

Now a two-time alumna of 午夜快播, Priscilla Johnson 鈥�06, 鈥�21 EdD said this statistic blows her away. 鈥淚 think there was a mutual understanding amongst us without having to articulate it,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淩epresentation matters, and I鈥檓 glad to be part of history here at 午夜快播 Southern University.鈥�

Johnson currently serves as assistant principal of Joseph R. Pye Elementary School in Dorchester District Two. In the field of education, she has always considered herself a lifelong learner and knew a terminal degree would lead to a myriad of opportunities. All signs pointed to 午夜快播. 

Being a part of the first doctoral cohort is not lost on Johnson. 鈥淥h my goodness! Each time I think about it, I鈥檓 moved to tears. We were trusted to be pioneers for a program that will exist for years to come. It鈥檚 groundbreaking, and I鈥檓 humbled.鈥�

Like many doctoral-level students, Johnson鈥檚 passion was demonstrated in her research. For her, it鈥檚 minority students having a voice in majority-centered systems. For others, topics ranged from education to healthcare.

鈥淭o see a group of resilient students meet their lifelong goal of achieving a doctorate was inspiring,鈥� said Dr. Julie Fernandez, dean of the College of Education. 鈥淚 am proud of this diverse group of leaders who will change the world with their faith and knowledge of their field.鈥�

Fernandez added that she is excited for what the future will bring to this program. 鈥淲e look forward to teaching more future leaders who want to learn best leadership practices and create research that will impact the future of South Carolina and beyond.鈥�

Listed below are the newest 午夜快播 Southern alumni and the first doctoral graduates for the university, along with their dissertation title. Twelve are previous alumni, having attained a bachelor鈥檚 and/or master鈥檚 degree from 午夜快播 as well.

• Danielle Moreau 鈥�16 MEd 鈥� Effective Strategies for Teaching Intercultural Communicative Competence

• April C. Sanders 鈥�12, 鈥�16 MEd 鈥� Academic Performance of Local vs. State Identified Female Gifted Students in South Carolina

• Gary M. Seaboldt 鈥�14 MEd 鈥� Elementary Music Teachers鈥� Perspectives of Culturally Responsive Teaching

• Amanda Snipe 鈥� Factors Influencing Minority Teacher Retention Decisions in Two South Carolina Lowcountry School Districts

• Donna Timko 鈥� The Impact of Secondary Coursework on the Post-Secondary Academic Performance of First-Year Nursing Students

• Shene White 鈥�10 MEd 鈥� Impact of Selected Reading Intervention Strategies on State-Required Reading Assessments

• Micah Behrens 鈥� Factors Associated with Teachers鈥� Decision Making and Response to Intervention Tier 1 Implementation

• Courtney Creech 鈥� The Effects of the 4K Child Development Program on School Readiness

• Quencenia Dantzler 鈥� Systems Thinking for Online Education

• Priscilla Johnson 鈥�06 鈥� Intervention Before Identification: An Analysis of Culturally Response Teacher Self-Efficacy and Teacher Preparedness to Reduce Disproportion of Black Males in Special Education

• Erica Taylor 鈥� A Study to Understand the Barriers Encountered by African American Women Education Superintendents in South Carolina

• Angel Tucker 鈥�01 鈥� Digesting Diversity: Integrating Foodways to Create a Culturally Relevant Education in Secondary Schools

• Sherry Dial 鈥�15 MSN 鈥� Is Web-Based Learning Effective in Preparing the Nursing Graduate to Meet Competency Objectives in The Nursing Profession: Faculties’ Perception

• Donald Lauer 鈥�07, 鈥�09 MBA 鈥� GRIT: A Comparison of Military Versus Non-Military Students at A Private Christian University

• Delane Neuroth 鈥� Tomorrow鈥檚 National Security: A Study on The Relationship Between Screen Time and The Health Motivation of College-Aged Youth at A Military Institution

• Jeffrey Payne 鈥�08 鈥� Crisis in the Hallways: A Qualitative Study of Mental Health Crisis Intervention Training for School Resource Officers

• Ashleigh Wojslawowicz 鈥�10, 鈥�13 MS 鈥� Recruiting Amidst Crisis: Exploring Police Recruit Motivations in A Post-Ferguson Era

• Keeley Jarrett 鈥�07, 鈥�11 MEd 鈥� Preferred Principal Leadership Styles Conducive to Teacher Retention

• Paula M. Browne 鈥� A Study of Soft Skills Acquisition of High School Students as Perceived by School Counselors

• Arthea Simmons 鈥� The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Student Learning in South Carolina Rural Schools: An Examination of Inequalities

• Tammy Smith-Thompson 鈥� Caring for the Care Teams: Nurses Thriving and Innovating by Design

• Jerome Davis 鈥� The Impact of Employee Wellness Programs on Student Achievement in Title 1 Middle Schools in the Southeast Region of the United States

• Mervin Jenkins 鈥�01 MEd 鈥� The Effect of Hip-Hop Pedagogy on the Teacher-Student Relationship, Particularly of Black Boys