Darrell Sampson is a native of central Illinois, turned Washington, D.C. area transplant, who understands the inherent value in a University of Illinois degree and appreciates his online program's rigorous coursework yet flexible format. He is currently serving as the Executive Director of Student Support Teams for Alexandria City Public Schools, in Virginia, while pursuing a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) in EPOL with a concentration in Diversity and Equity.
"There were several things that moved Education at Illinois to the top of my list. First, it was the only program at that time that specifically focused on diversity and equity in education, the area in which I wanted to focus for my terminal degree. Second, while I have truly loved the cohort programs I have completed in the past, the Illinois degree would allow me to pick and choose the classes that would best support my goals and my chosen dissertation topic. Third, the classes were synchronous, ensuring real-time interactions with professors and peers, and because they were online, allowed me to make dinner for my family, tuck my son into bed, and still make it to class on time.
"I am looking forward to being able to truly embrace the aim of this doctorate of education program in becoming a practitioner-researcher, partnering with school and university colleagues to further practical educational research, potentially doing some graduate teaching, and remaining engaged with education scholarship. The online Ed.D. program has both enriched my current work and skillset and set me up to contribute more largely to scholarship, leadership, and teaching in the future."
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