Thursday, April 30, 2015

The Dr. Will Show - Finding Your Voice with "The Scholar Vlogger" Dr. Mary Hemphill



On this episode of The Dr. Will Show, I chat with "The Scholar Vlogger" Dr. Mary Hemphill about finding one's voice.


In her own words:

I m Dr. Mary Hemphill – an educator, scholar, thinker, innovator, collaborator, & most importantly, a mold maker!
I am a NC native who attended Meredith College as a NC Teaching Fellow. During my sophomore year, I studied abroad in Puerto Rico as an exchange student at the University of the Sacred Heart in San Juan. It was without a doubt one of the most defining times of my life, & I am grateful for the experiences I had and people I met on that breathtaking island. ¡Boriqua de corazon!
Following my tenure at Meredith, I returned to my hometown & spent five years teaching 3rd & 4th grade. Being able to tell my students, “I sat where you sat,” was a powerful opportunity because it allowed me to help my students discover a world they may not have otherwise explored. During this time, I completed the Masters of School Administration program through Western Carolina University & I was introduced to the concept of a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). The term Big Hairy Audacious Goal was coined by James Collins & Jerry Porras in their book entitled Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies (1994)Ever since then I have tackled at least one BHAG a year! Soon after graduation, I became the Assistant Principal of Curriculum & Instruction at a local high school and was thrilled to be able to work with a brand new age group of students. I also was accepted into the PhD program for Leadership Studies at NC A&T State University, and three years later I was named principal of an elementary school not too far from my hometown at the age of 29.
This past December, I completed the PhD program at NC A&T State University and successfully defended my dissertation entitled, “Teacher Perceptions of Teacher Leadership and Shared Vision: A Correlational Study using the NC Teacher Working Conditions Survey”. There is something powerful about a vision actualized. The vision of my parents witnessing their daughter become a doctor (the first on either side of the family) had propelled me through years of formal education, professional and personal challenges, & moments of triumph.
The story is still being written, & there are many more BHAGs to tackle, visions to materialize, & molds to make. I look forward to the journey…

1 comment:

  1. I really enjoyed this GHO and find myself becoming a fan. Wow, the Scholar Vlogger is so young to be a leader of a school. Is Dr. Mary Hemphill on twitter? Thank you for this.

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