City University of Seattle’s student, Alexis Howell, is one of many students who decided to take their program 100% online. Working as a Zone Manager at a national tv station in Chicago, Alexis is currently working towards earning her Doctor of Education in Leadership degree. Alexis said “I started at Michigan state in journalism, where I received my BA and MA in journalism. I wanted to be a physical therapist at first, but I noticed I was good at writing and that’s why I liked journalism.” As well as being a zone manager and a student, Alexis is also on the professional side of education. “Although I love journalism, I also love education – I’m a teacher at Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon, WA. I don’t need a doctorate to teach but education is key, especially as an African American woman.” Alexis said.

Once finished with her masters and settled down in her new role, Alexis was ready to take the next step in her educational journey. “I was looking for a doctoral program – I wanted to be able to move up in my field because there are not a lot of people of color in journalism. A graduate of CityU was actually the one who told me about the program and how I could complete my doctorate online. Because I didn’t have my GRE score, and how flexible the program is, I knew that CityU was the right fit for me and my schedule.” Alexis said.

Working as a zone manager, Alexis looks up news stories in a certain part of the country to produce on her station. Although no two days are the same at Alexis’s job, creative problem solving and multi-tasking are always consistent. “My days are crazy, we have an 11 am and 2 pm meeting every day. My zone partner presents stories at the 11 am meeting and I get ready for the 2 pm meeting. I find new stories that weren’t pitched at the 11 am meeting and if there’s a story the producer likes, I go back and find more elements to expand it and make sure everything is set to go for the news that night.

LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE

When looking towards the future, Alexis is looking to apply her education to reach her goals. “I really want to teach full time, but I also want to move up in my field and see every situation that is possible. I feel like for me, I’m not at the bottom of the pole but there are many options and levels that I can still get to in the journalism field and I can say that I started from the bottom and worked my way to the top.”

Alexis is aiming to be a part of CityU’s class of 2022, and now that she has experienced more than half of the program, she has a few words of advice for others looking to enter the Doctor of Education in Leadership program, “Go for it – I think because it’s online there is so much flexibility. If someone wanted to take a quarter off, you could pick it back up easily. What I regretted about my masters was not applying for it sooner – if you have your masters already, just apply, don’t live life with regret.” Alexis said.

LEARN MORE

If you are interested in learning more about CityU’s Doctor of Education in Leadership program, email info@cityu.edu or call 888.422.4898 to speak with our advising team.