Real.Strong.Women of Distinction

Thanks to my Alpha Chi Omega sister, Cecilia Sierra Edwards, for nominating me for one of the Real.Strong.Women of Distinction Awards.  

In an effort to maintain an accountability in my writing, I share with you all my responses to the required questions for the nomination.

Please share the impact your Alpha Chi Omega experience has made throughout your journey to success.

Maximum Number of Words: 300

When I joined Gamma Rho chapter, I was a shy sophomore with a few friends 400 miles from home.  Alpha Chi Omega gave me the tools to come out of my corner with confidence and determination.  The skills I learned in Alpha Chi Omega were invaluable as I headed down my career pathway as an educator.  I never dreamed of leading a classroom, a department meeting, or national organization.

My sisters elected me Chaplain my senior year.  Through leadership development programs provided by the chapter, and informal mentoring by local alumnae, I learned more about organizing a band of women to impact the community than I ever thought possible.  Furthermore, Alpha Chi Omega fostered my creativity and gave me a passion for working with diverse groups.

I learned just how important the skills learned in Gamma Rho activities were when I entered the classroom as a teacher.  From project organization and leadership to public speaking, Alpha Chi Omega prepared me as well as my education course work for creating a learning environment that reached all students where they were and engaged them in the content.

My experiences in Alpha Chi Omega created a sense of self-confidence and reliance that allowed me to pursue and complete a doctoral program in geographic education.  I may have been smart enough to pursue graduate study, but Alpha Chi Omega taught me perseverance which is essential to advanced academic coursework and research.  Once again, the networking and organizational skills proved essential as I entered academia earning both promotion and tenure at the first opportunity.

From the high school geography classroom in rural south Texas to teacher preparation programs at an SEC flagship institution, the skills I learned in Alpha Chi Omega have lasted and continue to help me foster change in our world.

Tell us about your accomplishments as they are applicable to your successes.

Maximum Number of Words: 300

After leaving Texas Tech and Gamma Rho Chapter, I earned a Master of Arts in Teaching from Trinity University and taught high school social studies in south central Texas six years - moving from novice teacher to co-lead geography teacher of a group of 13 geography teachers.  In 1999, I won one of the Target Teachers Scholarships to further my education.   

I coordinated the Texas Alliance for Geographic Education’s 2001 Geography Awareness Week (GAW) program and traveled to Washington, DC, to work with other GAW coordinators at the National Geographic Society.  I made connections with award-winning educators and so many others.  I received the runner-up in the National Council for Geographic Education (NCGE) Natoli Dissertation Award in 2007 for my research on underrepresented students’ perceptions of careers in geography.  

I mentored students on projects that have been accepted for publication and/or presentation at nationally recognized conferences such as the National Council for the Social Studies, the ESRI Education Users’ Conference, and the Applied Geography Conference.  The Mississippi Geographic Alliance Steering Committee nominated me for an NCGE Distinguished Teaching Award in 2012.  

Additionally, I worked with ETS on the Praxis II National Advisory Committee for Geography, and as a table leader for the Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography exam.  The APHG community helped me more clearly see a future for geography in the K-12 classroom.  Through their eyes, I see a future beyond place-name geography.  

In 2009, I was asked to fill the unexpired term of the Recording Secretary.  I served NCGE in that capacity until my election as Vice President of Curriculum & Instruction.  As President of the NCGE Board of Directors in 2016, I helped implement a more modern system of governance for nonprofit organizations and led the organization through a strategic planning process for the next five years.