Marie Pashi, Ed.D. Program

Robert T. Conley Scholarship Recipient
Doctoral Scholarship Recipient

Marie currently serves her community as an early childhood education manager in the Head Start Department of the Cincinnati Hamilton County Community Action Agency.  She has volunteered with Project Learn as a mentor for young girls ages 12 through 17 to help them make personal connections with their own lives; actively participates in Voices for Ohio’s Children, a group that advocates for public policy changes for the well-being of children and their families; and is a member of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, a sorority that unites women educators to encourage their participation in appropriate programs of action.  Marie holds an undergraduate degree in applied pedagogy, with concentrations in education and social sciences, from the National University of Zaire. 

@UI&U recently spoke with Marie about her educational journey.

Q1) What (or who!) influenced you to return to school for your degree?

In my current position as the education support manager, I am responsible for overseeing the curriculum for preschool children at the Cincinnati Hamilton County Community Action Agency, Head Start Department. My main responsibility is to ensure that children are prepared and ready for school. Therefore, families and stakeholders have placed many expectations on my position. These expectations include, among others, producing positive learning outcomes for children--hence my interests to broaden my understanding of the field of early childhood education, specifically, and of the field of education in general. This is the main reason which led to my decision to take educational leadership as a field of my graduate studies.

I chose Union because of the convenience in the scheduling, the ease of meeting the demands of higher learning online, and the individualized attention provided by an experienced and professional teaching staff. I attend classes while I continue to work full-time at my current position. I am also able to manage my school schedule around my other work and family responsibilities.

Q2) At Union, our vision is to empower each learner to take his or her academic studies, and apply those theories or skills to work in the greater community. How will your studies allow you to make a difference in the lives of others?

As I look at my journey as a learner, the courses that I have taken during the last two semesters have gotten me to constantly rethink my practices in three ways: shared vision, cultural inclusion, and being both a manager and a leader. As a result, I am more concerned with the way I share my organization’s vision with teaching staff. As I look back on my career path, my role as education support manager has dramatically changed. I know and understand the important role that cultures play in the educational environment.  As I learn more about social justice and ethics, I am developing skills and knowledge to assist educational institutions to equitably and fairly include all different cultures from their schools into the educational process. I am challenging myself to be both a successful manager and a successful leader who helps individuals (teachers, students, and parents) achieve their personal goals within the organizational goals. This is the path that I have chosen to grow in my journey at Union Institute & University.