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1. Doctor of Education (Ed.D) Higher Education and Adult Learning
Rebecca D. Taylor
Personal and Professional Goal Statement
I am interested in gaining my Doctor of Education (Ed.D) in Higher Education and Adult
Learning so that I have the skills necessary to teach at the collegiate level. I am interested in
teaching Public Health at colleges within the United States until my children have graduated high
school. Afterwards, I would like to pursue teaching positions at colleges in other countries, as I
enjoyed living abroad as part of my undergraduate degree.
I am also teaching myself Hindi and Spanish to broaden the number of colleges at which I
could teach. I spoke with a Walden enrollment advisor, and we determined that the Doctor of
Education Higher Education and Adult Learning program would best prepare me to meet my goals.
In conjunction with this degree, I will have access to college classrooms to complete assignments
and conduct research. In my previous position as an Immunization Field Representative, I most
enjoyed teaching medical office staff and school office staff on correctly reporting immunizations
into Michigan’s immunization registry. This experience opened my mind to obtaining my doctoral
degree so that I could continue teaching.
Academic Experience
I received my Bachelor’s of Science degree in Child Development, Family Community
Services, Infant and Toddler option in December 1995. My grades were average and I attribute this
youth and the fact that I was not financially responsible for my education. When I enrolled at
Walden University Masters in Public Health in 2007, I knew I would be financially responsible for
my education and my GPA reflected how seriously I felt about excelling in my program.
In addition to the teaching I mentioned above, when I worked for the Ingham Intermediate
School District as a Parent Educator, I planned, executed and assessed parent education classes on a
monthly basis. The parents were from varied backgrounds, from people who had university degrees
to no high school education. This made the lesson plans challenging to create and I feel prepared
me for the diversity of learners I will find when I finish my doctoral studies.
There are 2 discrepancies in my work experience. Most recently, I was laid off in December
2009 as part of a mutual agreement between my Division Director and myself. I was requesting an
administrative leave of approximately 30 days in order to finish my Masters capstone experience.
At the time, the “swine flu” pandemic was occurring and my supervisor felt that I was needed 40
hours a week. Not finishing my capstone experience would have placed an additional financial
burden on my family that I could not justify. I finished my capstone experience in February 2010
and graduated, hoping that even with the sluggish economy, I would be able to obtain a position
with my newly conferred degree. However, finding a position has been more difficult that I first
thought. The other discrepancy was while working at the Ingham Intermediate School District. It
was a federally funded program that began just prior to the attack on September 11, 2001. After
those events, much of our program grant was taken back for homeland security. I was recalled
when the program found a small, 6 month grant that allowed me to work as a Parent Educator again
for a short time.
Research Experience
My research experience is limited to my capstone experience. I worked with the Centers for
Disease and Prevention (CDC) Detroit Quarantine Station that was housed in the Detroit
International Airport. I learned how to verify immunization and tuberculosis records of incoming
immigrants and refugees, the quarantine’s responsibilities during a pandemic if it were required that
we screen all disembarking passengers for influenza-like symptoms, as well as the day-to-day
running of a quarantine station. For my final research paper, I took a random sampling of
immunization records to discover whether or not incoming immigrants and refugees were really

2. Doctor of Education (Ed.D) Higher Education and Adult Learning
Rebecca D. Taylor
coming in to the country as fully immunized as the CDC required, or if they were merely obtaining
immunization waiver forms that allowed them to travel internationally without being immunized
until they reached their final destination. Other research that I conducted was done as part of my
classroom assignments in my graduate program.
Work/Other Experience
My prior work experience has been divided in 2 directions that I feel have both attributed to
my decision to seek my Ed.D. My public health experiences have made use both my undergraduate
and graduate degrees. While working at the Ingham County Health Department, I had intensive,
weekly visits with families that were at risk of abusing or neglecting their child, for various reasons.
I would spend time with a family, helping the parents with filling out forms for state aid, creating a
food budget, baby-proofing their home, and providing 1-on-1 child development information
specific to their child’s developmental stage. During these home visits, I learned many cultural
skills that helped me gain the trust of the family so they would allow me to continue to visit them. I
visited families from a variety of backgrounds and cultures—such as Muslim, Indian-Hindu
speaking, Indian-Tamil-speaking, Vietnamese, and Chinese families.
Personal Qualities
I feel that I have the personal qualities that it takes to be successful both in this program and
professionally, after I receive my Ed.D. I have excellent interpersonal skills; people who completed
my trainings commented on the ease with which I spoke, not resorting to technical jargon. I
consider myself driven to succeed; in my graduate program I did what ever was necessary to
complete assignments on time—such as working late into the night, working on assignments on
vacations, and using multiple forms of media.
Why Walden?
Walden University was my first choice; I really did not consider other online universities
because I had obtained my Masters degree from Walden and had a very enjoyable experience. I felt
that the tuition was reasonable, the University Portal was easy to navigate and familiar to me, and
most importantly, I felt Walden’s reputation, as a leader in online learning, would assure that I
received an exemplary education.