Bridget Terry knows that finding your place sometimes means getting lost along the way.
After starting college with the goal of becoming a nurse, she switched to cosmetology, hoping for a creative outlet. But no matter where she turned, something was missing.
杏吧专区淚 told myself, 杏吧专区榊ou know what? I need something more permanent. I need something that杏吧专区檚 going to fare out in the future,杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿 Terry says.
That realization led her back to school, where she earned her bachelor杏吧专区檚 in early education in 1998 and began a career she杏吧专区檚 never looked back on.
Now, more than two decades later, she is still pursuing new ways to grow as an educator with a Master of Education in Educational Leadership from UL Lafayette.
Discovering Her Passion
Originally from New York, Terry and her family moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana, when she was just a newborn.
By middle school, they settled in New Orleans, where she grew up surrounded by a community of faith at the Baptist Theological Seminary.
After trying her hand in various fields, Terry found her true passion in education.
杏吧专区淥ne of my first jobs was at the daycare, I was always involved with the youth at church, always the babysitter for everybody,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檝e just always loved children.杏吧专区
After earning her bachelor杏吧专区檚 degree in education and gaining teaching experience in New Orleans, Terry moved to Lafayette and began teaching in the Lafayette Parish School System.
Once she got experience in several schools and grade levels, she found herself drawn to leadership positions.
杏吧专区淚 was one of the first educators employed and on the leadership team at the Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淗olding different roles there helped me to discover my leadership skills, and everything started to become centered around leadership, so I knew I needed to go back to school.杏吧专区
Inspired by the educational leaders around her, Terry decided she was ready to take the next step in her career.
Finding the Right Program at UL Lafayette
Terry杏吧专区檚 decision to pursue her master杏吧专区檚 degree was shaped by a desire to become a certified leader in her school system.
杏吧专区淚 was blessed to work under some amazing female school leaders that I looked up to,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淢y principals would always say 杏吧专区楤ridget, you have good leadership qualities. You need to go to school so you can get certified to become a principal when the time is right.杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿
With the words of those leaders motivating her, she began researching programs.
杏吧专区淚 heard about UL Lafayette a lot from others who were going through the program. After checking out a couple of schools, I decided that UL Lafayette was my top choice,杏吧专区 Terry says.
Despite initial reservations about her program杏吧专区檚 hybrid structure, Terry杏吧专区檚 experience was overwhelmingly positive thanks to the support of her professors and peers.
But just a few months into the program, Terry experienced an unexpected setback 杏吧专区 a serious fall that derailed her plans.
One Word: Perseverance
Adjusting to online learning while recovering from her fall proved to be a challenge for Terry.
杏吧专区淚 didn杏吧专区檛 want to talk about it initially because it took me to a bad space,杏吧专区 she recalls.
But her professors knew something wasn杏吧专区檛 right.
杏吧专区淲hen I finally spoke with them about it, they told me, 杏吧专区榃e already know what you can do. Just take your time and come back when you杏吧专区檙e better and we will go from there,杏吧专区櫺影勺ㄇ鴿 she says. 杏吧专区淚 knew UL Lafayette was the place for me because of the concern the professors showed me.杏吧专区
The decision to step away and focus on her health wasn杏吧专区檛 easy.
But a year later, she returned to finish what she started.
Though it was challenging joining a new cohort and adjusting to her new peers, she found strength in the encouragement of her family and her desire to set an example for her children.
杏吧专区淭hey were so understanding. They would see me working every day, so they really learned to be less dependent on me compared to before,杏吧专区 she says. 杏吧专区淎nd I杏吧专区檓 glad they experienced that, the start to the finish and everything in between. They knew the purpose and they knew the reason behind it."
Supporting Student Growth as a Librarian
With over 22 years in education, Terry recently transitioned into a new role as a librarian at Alice Boucher Elementary School in Lafayette.
And it was UL Lafayette杏吧专区檚 online M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program that prepared Terry for this new chapter.
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檓 not a typical librarian who just reads books. I get excited when I杏吧专区檓 able to incorporate standards that are being taught in the classroom into my library lessons,杏吧专区 says Terry. 杏吧专区淯L Lafayette杏吧专区檚 program really taught us how to dig deep into curriculum.杏吧专区
Outside of her duties as a librarian, Terry also serves as the Executive Director of Kingdom Tied, a nonprofit youth services organization.
Through her company, The Learning Coach LLC., she offers after-school tutoring and recently launched a summer camp to help students from Pre-K through 2nd grade transition smoothly into a classroom setting.
杏吧专区淚杏吧专区檓 a firm believer that there杏吧专区檚 no one curriculum for everybody, so I like that I can better accommodate them in my summer program,杏吧专区 she says.
杏吧专区淚n my role as a librarian, I杏吧专区檓 able to encourage non-readers to start reading, regardless of their current reading ability.杏吧专区
Continuing Education
While Terry was initially set to begin her doctorate program at UL Lafayette this semester, she chose to focus on her new role as a librarian.
But continuing her education is still on the horizon.
杏吧专区淚t杏吧专区檚 something I杏吧专区檓 still interested in; I went to info sessions and everything. But I杏吧专区檓 excited about the opportunity to be a librarian for a few years before retiring,杏吧专区 she says.
杏吧专区淚 love being an educator and have so much more to offer this generation of learners.杏吧专区
For Terry, the relationships she formed with faculty at UL Lafayette played a significant role in shaping both her career and her desire to continue her education.
杏吧专区淚 received so much more than an education while at UL Lafayette. Relationships were created by caring professors, and I wouldn杏吧专区檛 trade that for anything."
As she continues to shape young minds, her story stands as a reminder of the power of perseverance for students who are currently working through the program.
杏吧专区淏elieve in yourself no matter what. I was 51 years old when I started, had an accident that changed my life, got married while managing four school-aged kids and later started a full-time job," says Terry.
杏吧专区淵ou can do it, even if you杏吧专区檙e working full-time and have a family. Go to UL Lafayette 杏吧专区 the support you杏吧专区檒l receive is unmatched.杏吧专区
Ready to take your career in education to the next level? Learn more about our M.Ed. in Educational Leadership program.
