Greetings!
I’m Dr. Whit, Your Ed.D. Confidence Coach
affectionately known as ”The Faith-filled leader”
By the grace of God, I was hooded in the Fall of 2024 with my EdD in Organizational Leadership. 23 years of formal education ending with a terminal degree. Acheiving this scholastic milestone refined my mindset around confidence, and I am so grateful for the lessons learned along the way.
As a graduate, my mission is to coach year 2 and year 3 EdD scholars to refine their mindset towards confidence in their EdD process.
Here’s my snapshot of my EdD testimony written in this Instagram post from August 2020:
• HARVARD • 2019 • Doctoral Pursuit
[ 2019: I applied to Harvard’s EdLD ]
[ 2018: I applied to Vanderbilt’s EdD ]
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Following my HarvardX certification, I decided to apply to Harvard’s full-scholarship doctoral program! This included extensive brainstorming with my mentors, loads of reflection, investing 5 hours a week to the application, and confidently writing out my career goals.
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October 2019: I immersed myself in this doctoral process by flying to Boston to participate in the Diversity Recruitment weekend (swipe for pictures with Mom in-toe)! My time on campus was amazing (tours and all)! I participated in all of the Ed.L.D. webinars, met current doctoral students, and networked like crazy!
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December 2019: I submitted my Harvard application on faith knowing that I put everything into this doctoral pursuit!
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March 2020 Admission Decision: Not accepted. At the time of the email, I had just finished a public speaking engagement at Elon and I was sitting in my hotel room processing the news of the rejection email. Looking back on it now five months later, I remember how centered I felt because I knew it was God closing another door. As I stated above, this was my second time applying to an Ivy League in pursuit of my doctorate degree. Although I went through a period of discouragement, God kept making himself known, and I was filled with GRATITUDE. I was grateful for this application process for many reasons because it pushed me to be vulnerable with God and myself. All of which were extremely necessary for my personal, spiritual and professional development.
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March 2020-Present: Every single day since March 6 has been so valuable to me, even in this season of quarantine. I literally feel the hand of God over my life, and my prayer everyday is 🤍✝️🙌🏾: “God, thank You for the open and closed doors! Have Your way! In Jesus name. Amen.”
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No, I am not enrolled in any doctoral programs currently, but more importantly, I am affirmed, daily, that I am living in God’s dream for me. And you want to know what gives me peace that surpasses my understanding? It’s knowing first-hand that God’s will, will be done. I am rooted in that every single day. Godspeed ❤”
2021 EDIT: [ 2021: Accepted into Gardner-Webb’s EdD Program! ]
My Results
Organized resources for my EdD cohort & served as Social Committe Chair!
Successfully defended my dissertation 1 semester early—with setbacks!
Graduated with my EdD in Organizational Leadership in 3 years—all while working full time!
Maintained a confident mindset to accomplish my ambitious goals—with faith!
My Experience
National Teaching Fellow
B.A. in Elementary Education & Special Education
Guest Speaker at Virtual Self-Care Workshops for College Seniors in Student Teaching placements
M.Ed in Human Development & Family Studies
2+ years working in the tech space &
8+ yearsof teaching in public schools3+ years operating my LLC
EdD in Organizational Leadership
Continous Improvement Consultant for Nonprofit Organizations & Churches
My Skills
Continuously cultivating a faith-filled and ambitious life that allows me to actively participate in my own self-care practices that include faith, physical and emotional wellness, creating memories with family & friends
Morale Pal Motivator to scholars by learning their goals and creatively celebrating their accomplishments in meaningful ways
Empowering scholars to reflect and strategically align their personal and professional goals through all stages of the EdD journey