How a Quiet Education Reformer Is Learning to Use Her Voice
When advocating for a cause I believe in, I prefer to stay behind the scenes. You won’t find me volunteering to make the big speech in front of a large audience. Where I take pride is in contributing to something bigger than myself.
When I started working at Choice Media, a non-profit news organization dedicated to investigating and covering all facets of K-12 education, I had one thought: make a difference in the lives of children trapped in failing schools. But when you’re up against powerful interest groups defending the status quo, it can be a challenge to get the message out that a crisis is happening in our public education system.
Each day, I curate the most pertinent headlines and developing stories in education. I try to effectively communicate to our audience how a bullied girl’s life was saved through school choice, why a study on school segregation may be biased, or that children are suffering because of corruption in school districts across the country. I post these stories to our social media platforms with the hope that it will spark the interest of our followers, and then, somehow, it will reach the millions of people outside the education reform bubble.
I wanted to turn that “somehow” into “know how.”
My company constantly experiments with new content ideas, but we struggle to determine the extent of our impact on our audience and the reform movement as a whole. I was getting frustrated.
Then I came across an article on a topic I had limited knowledge about: small-bite credentials. Author Laura Pappano explained how small-bite credentials are “shaping a new way of thinking about education.” I was fascinated. I realized there could be a program out there that would not only benefit my organization, but also help advance my career. Digital marketing was something I did everyday, but I had very little idea how to orchestrate campaigns or measure success.
That’s when I discovered Udacity’s Digital Marketing Nanodegree. It had everything I wanted in an online program: partnerships with industry leaders (including Google and Facebook), real-world projects, self-paced learning, dedicated mentors, and a community to support me on my journey. I signed up as soon as I could.
I am only one month into the program, but I have already absorbed so much information. Lessons on marketing fundamentals and content strategy have opened my eyes to new ways to create content that works for my audience. Each new concept sparks an idea for how I can put that into practice in my current role. I have gained a new sense of purpose.
Udacity’s program isn’t only giving me essential skills in digital marketing. The experience is giving me more confidence to speak up about my ideas and helping me find a new way to be proactive in the cause I believe in.
Maybe that girl who likes to sit quietly on the side has a bigger voice than she realized.
