南娜的整个职业生涯都在特殊教育领域工作. In her most current position as a Program Specialist for a large urban school district, 她积极参与教师活动, 管理员, and parents in meeting the needs of the children with special needs in her district.
Her coursework at Concordia not only gave her the practical skills to support her community but also has helped her to understand the global impact education needs to have.
Nnenna’s time in 欧文康考迪亚大学’s doctoral program has changed her as a professional and empowered her as a citizen in her quest to have an even more significant impact on her community.
Please tell us about what you consider to be one of the biggest impacts you are making/have made in one of your respective communities.
When asked about the positive impact she has had on her community Nnenna Okpara says frankly, “我的整个世界都是残疾学生.” In her current position in a large urban school district as a Program Specialist, she has opportunities “constantly and on a daily basis” to have a positive impact on either the program or the support staff that works with the students. She emphasizes that her involvement is not peripheral but that she is actively working with students and their parents as well as to teachers and 管理员 looking at IEPs and making sure they are implementable and appropriate, 学生们得到了他们应有的教育. “ The kind of work that I do, I can’t get away from having an impact in my career.”
你对这个社区的不同需求有什么了解?
A few years ago Nnenna left her position in Orange County as a Special Ed Teacher to take a position with Norwalk La Mirada Unified as a Program Specialist. 虽然她期望在工作中有一个学习曲线, 在与新社区打交道时，她没有预料到这一点. What she learned right away was that the needs of this new community demanded that she do things differently. “这个人群/社区非常不同. 我正在处理学生和家庭就业, 高贫困, 失业的父母和无家可归的人是问题. The students with disabilities still need support to access general curriculum, but here we are running into other issues that compound the struggle of a student with a disability.” This has prompted her to be part of the administrative team that is increasing parent training to help them understand the special education programs. Her district is also working on writing legally defensible IEPs that are easier for the parents without a formal education to understand and can be easily picked up by any district when the family moves. They are also much more explicit in their communication with parents. 所有这些都是为了满足这个社区的独特需求.
How was your research/study as part of 欧文康考迪亚大学’s EDD program helped you address the needs of this community?
“我爱崔。!娜娜毫不掩饰地说. “ The actual research (dissertation) has not followed me as I thought it would, but the practical skills that I gained as an ongoing learner in the program have me constantly thinking about my community and how to support it. 欧文康考迪亚大学 has helped me understand the global impact education needs to have.” This is so evident when one looks at the positive impact that Nnenna is having on her school district.
How have you used your research or experience to develop strategies to meet these needs?
Nnenna credits her 欧文康考迪亚大学 education for changing the way she views people in her environment. “I am looking at my own environment and even my own children in a different way considering their cognitive and emotional development- all because of my CUI educational background.”
How has your involvement with this community impacted other areas of your life?
娜娜并不总是对成为一名特殊教育老师感兴趣. 事实上，在她妈妈的Sp. Ed. 教室里，她非常确信她不想成为一名学生. However, something clicked along the way, and she has never looked back. Now she is passionate about her work and what she does with this community of special needs children informs everything she does including how she deals with her own children. “All of the strategies that we use for students that learn differently are strategies a typical child can benefit from,Nnenna说. This work has also made her much more sensitive to the needs of parents especially those who do not have the time, resources and/or ability to deal with the needs of their children.
Nnenna also speaks highly of another community--her 欧文康考迪亚大学 family, 当她谈到对她生活的影响时. 和她同组的人, she speaks of having formed life long friendships and continues to work with her colleagues. 此外, 而她与其他学校的互动是有限的, 但在欧文的康考迪亚大学却不是这样. “This feels like it is an actual relationship that did not end when I graduated. CUI不断伸出援手. 这不仅仅是一个基金会要钱. 这是有意义的. 这是一种关系和持续的互动. We don't see each other every day but when we do it is like time hadn’t passed.”
Nnenna looks 在欧文的康考迪亚大学 as a good friend and doesn’t want us to go away. 南娜，我们对你也有同样的感觉!
访谈前调查的补充回答
在哪些方面，如果有的话，Ed.D. program enhanced your ability to assess and develop positions/programs/interventions to respond to the needs of this community?
我从教育中获得的知识.D. 这个项目使我适应了现在的工作.