When I
received my Bachelor's Degree from the University of South Florida four years
ago, I felt like I was floating on cloud nine! I wrote an article titled "DreamFulfilled: The Necessity of Higher Education" and talked about my
educational experience up to that point and expressed my sincere gratitude to
the people who helped me get there. Here I am four years later, the proud new holder of a Master's Degree in Communication and Leadership from Park
University. I am going to talk about my graduate school experience with the
hope of inspiring people around me to pursue or continue pursuing their
educational and life goals.
My
journey towards a Master's Degree started in January of 2014. I took a few
years off after finishing undergraduate school because I needed to devote time to taking care of some obligations for my military career. My time wearing the
uniform will be coming to an end within the next five years or so and my
deteriorating knee condition forced me to think about what I want to do once I
retire from the Marine Corps. I wanted to make myself as marketable as possible when I
make the transition from being on active duty to the civilian world and I
believed completing this degree program would help with that process.
I knew I
wanted to go to graduate school because that was a long term goal I set for
myself when I started taking classes with Park University in 2007. That long
term goal was now my new short term goal and I needed to get started before I
spent too much time away from the academic world. I knew going in that this
process wasn't going to be easy, but it was a process that I had to go through
in order to get to my goal.
I had to
study for and take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) to get into graduate school.
The test itself was very difficult, but I scored well enough to be accepted. I
think what helped me the most was my strong grades and credibility with Park
University from my previous time with the school (2007-2010). I only took one
class per semester because that's all the time I could afford to give. My
obligations at home and at work were too great for me to do more than one
class. I didn't want to stretch myself too thin by taking on a heavy class load
and thankfully I didn't because one class at times felt like I was taking three
or four.
I really
enjoyed most of the classes I took, but there were some assignments/projects
that really tested my patience and desire to complete the program. Anyone that
has spent any time with me at all knows that academic excellence is not
optional. I am not satisfied with making anything less than A's in school
because I know I have the ability to do so if I put in the time and effort required. I
managed to make straight A’s throughout graduate school, finishing with a 4.0 GPA.
In the grand scheme of things, are employers going to ask me if I made all A's
in grad school? Probably not, but just in case they do, I want my transcripts
to have as many A's as possible and I was fortunate enough to achieve my goal.
I've been called an over achiever more than once in my life, but I take it as a
compliment and keep striving to be the best at everything I get involved in.
I feel
obligated to succeed to prove that despite the obstacles life throws my way,
with a combination of determination, a good work ethic, and making good
decisions, I could beat the odds. Some might suggest that fear is a bad thing,
but going through this program reinforced my approach to life in that I use the
fear of failure as motivation. My fear of failure has driven me to be
successful at everything I have attempted to do in life. I will not allow fear
to stop me from doing things that can move me forward to achieve the goals I've
set for myself. Simply put, I cannot afford to fail because there are too many
people looking up to me and depending on me to succeed.
My fear
of failure could be linked to growing up with very little money and wanting a
better life for my family. I don't have fear in my heart because my parents
were too critical of me, unsupportive, or routinely undermined or humiliated me in childhood. I did not experience a traumatic event at some point in my
life where I performed poorly or fell apart when the pressure was on me to
perform. My parents have been loving and supportive of me from the start, but
they were also very demanding and ran a tight household. Part of what continues
to drive me to succeed is the fact that I grew up seeing too many people
struggling to earn a decent living and I decided early on in life that I needed
to do something different.
With
everything I have been blessed with up to this point in my life and going
forward, I still have an obligation to never forget the people who are not as
fortunate as I have been and extend my hand to them to assist them in achieving
their goals and dreams. In the spirit of philanthropist W.E.B. Du Bois'
Talented Tenth concept, I believe that leadership can arise from many levels
and grassroots efforts on the part of people like myself can have a
tremendous impact on the social change we want to see in communities all over
the world. There are people all over the world who have suffered the most and
have the least to lose that are depending on today's generation of leaders for
our steadfast, dependable, and uncompromising leadership.
What's
Next:
Considering
one of my future goals is to become a college professor, this program presented
a perfect opportunity for me to see how well prepared I am to transition from
the Marine Corps to a college campus. Being a lifelong learner, I am going to
continue reading as many books as I can. I have purchased many books
periodically over the last couple of years, but never got the opportunity to
read them because I just didn't have time. I did manage to squeeze in reading
about 50 articles a day and that number will probably go up quite a bit now
that I have a lot more free time on my hands.
At some
point in the next five years or so, I do plan to pursue a doctoral degree, but
right now I plan on taking a break from academia and enjoy spending my free
time doing things I really enjoy doing. Speaking of free time, I'll be spending
many, many hours on my back porch cooking meat. That's my happy place and
something I really enjoy doing, so I am going to take full advantage of this time trying to perfect my craft on the grill and smoker.
My blog
will be back in action after a two year hiatus. Keep your eyes open for some hard-hitting opinion pieces that will hopefully provoke thought and stimulate
good dialogue amongst friends and colleagues.
Thank
You:
I'd first
like to thank my wife and kids for their tireless support during this process.
Thank you so much for the support you provided on the many late nights, early
mornings, and countless hours of sitting behind a computer reading, writing, and
working on projects. I am driven to be excellent in everything I do because I
am trying to set the right example for you to follow. You young ladies are the
reason that failure is not an option for me. Thank you!
To my
loving parents who always encouraged me, believed in me, and prayed for me,
thank you. I have always tried to make my parents proud and this accomplishment
is a testament to how well they raised me and the values they instilled in
me.
To the
Marines who have worked and currently work with me, thank you. Thank all of you
for your patience, tolerance, and understanding while doing my best to set the
right example for you to emulate. My hope is that you've seen me go through the
process and realize you too have the ability to exceed anything I have
accomplished because you guys are a lot smarter than I am. The question is, do
you have the drive it takes to get you to that point and beyond? Challenge
issued!
To the
three people I asked to write letters of recommendation for me when I applied
to graduate school; Mr. Theodore Parrish, Ms. Jennifer Simpson, and Ms. Monique
Smith. I made a promise to the three of you that if you put your good name on
the line for me, I would come through for you and I did. I have reached out to
the three of you for mentorship and guidance along the way and words cannot
express how grateful I am to have people like you in my life.
Ted, you
are like the big brother I never had. The things you've accomplished in your
career helped inspire me to reach for the stars and I will be forever
grateful for our friendship and brotherhood. We've had some long, involved conversations about life, business, and careers and you've never guided me
wrong. I don't know if you realize how many people look up to you for being
such a successful person in the investment world. What impresses me the most is
that you have never forgotten where we came from and always represent Folkston,
Georgia with the highest level of dignity and respect. You've set the bar high
my friend and I look forward to continuing to be the kind of example young
people want to follow and emulate. http://parrishcapital.com/who-we-are/founders-bio/
Jennifer,
we spent three of the most wonderful years of our lives together at the NROTC
unit at USF. Even though you were my boss, it was our ability to work together
as a team that helped us be as successful as we were. I wish you had stayed in
the Corps a little bit longer because leaders like you are hard to find. Young
Marines are thirsty to be around squared away Marines like yourself and I will
always have very fond memories of the time we spent together as colleagues and
friends.
Monique,
we have been friends since middle school and I am thankful that our friendship
has stood the test of circumstance, time, and distance. You set the example for
me to follow and I'm sure I told you this many times before, but you continue
to impress me. When you were named to the Jacksonville Business Journal's 40
Under 40 in 2014, I thought to myself, "I need to step my game up because
my sister is leaving me in the dust!" I appreciate your passion for your
job and for challenging me in your own way to succeed beyond our dreams.
To my NJZ
Family in Tampa, thank you. You guys are the finest group of professional,
highly successful men and women who took me under your wings and treated me like I was a
family member. Our friendship means the world to me and I'm happy to have a good set of people like you in my life.
To my
Kamp-8 crew in Okinawa, thank you. Fellas, every one of you supported me during
this journey and gave me the encouragement I needed to get through some tough
times. Its people like you guys that makes being a Marine one of the best jobs
in the world. Now I'll have a little bit more time to smash some heads in
dominoes, so stand by for the beatings!
To Mrs.
Marie Hill at the MCAS Futenma Education Office, thank you. I cannot tell you
how many times I came into your office after finishing a class and you treated
me like I was the most important customer you'd talk to that day. Your smile
and telling me to keep pushing to the end really made a difference.
To Dr.
Lora Cohn and Dr. Mark Noe, thank you. You two were my primary professors in
the program and I really appreciate all of the guidance you've given me along
the way. I learned so much from you and how to conduct business in the
classroom as a true professional. I hope to continue working with you in the near
future if the opportunity presents itself for me to be a part of the Park
faculty.
To all of
my family and friends who have supported me in one way or another, thank you as
well. I'll be the first to admit that I am not the smartest, sharpest, or brightest
person in the world; but what I have been blessed with is a work ethic that
helps me overcome all of my natural shortcomings. I tell people all the time,
if you can invest time on social media, you can certainly invest time in
yourself to go to school. Hopefully
something I've said here helps someone realize that their dreams are reachable
and achievable.
Originally
published by Steve Maynor Jr. on May 11, 2016 via Blogger.com
