Love story : Dee and Dang

Delous Morgan’s Statement of Objectives

Growing up in rural Tennessee in a family of loggers and farmers, academia was far removed from my everyday life. From the day I became old enough to swing a busting hammer, it was my duty to help provide for the family, which, to this day, I am quite proud of. But, the toll of my role in the family was great, and my performance in high school suffered… along the lines of graduating with a 2.5 GPA. I’m not complaining, this is simply my biography as best as I understand it.

I was 30 years old before I was finally in possession of a bachelor’s degree. It took many years, much work, and a good deal of mistakes, to finally realize that dream, for I was a “late bloomer” academic. But, once I got started, there was no stopping the pursuit of an education, and, other than marrying my wife, it was the most rewarding experience of my life.

Somewhere, deep down, there was a desire in my heart to be “more.” I knew that I could think for myself and that I wanted to grow as a human being, regardless of a 2.5 GPA in high school. So, I enrolled in a local community college, and that’s where it all started.

In that little satellite campus, I tasted knowledge, as if for the first time. I started the see the human story grow, as did my place within it. My curiosity was sparked and then fanned, and I wanted more. So, I set out upon a journey that would lead me all over the world, quite literally.

Because of my paltry performance in high school, it was up to me to make the bachelor’s happen. I was on my own; so, my educational journey took many turns and had frequent pauses. No matter how much I loved college, I still had to eat. Also, adding to that, there were the unwise choices that I made, as far as strategy was concerned.

On such example is the idea of trying to avoid any and all debt to pay for college. I shake my head in disbelief now, but at 18, it made a lot of sense. I didn’t have the guidance to see it as the investment it was. Thankfully, I made better choices later in life, as I hope you will see.

After some years of struggling and a lot of “spinning my wheels,” I started to make better strategic choices. The most important one was realizing that school was an investment and that I was actually wasting time and money by prolonging my education. Once my opinion shifted to being pro student loans, things started to really take off.

Before I knew it, I had graduated from the University of Tennessee (with a 3.7 GPA) and was living in Asia teaching English as a foreign language.

I have a great life. It has been full of much joy and excitement, and I owe, not only a strong will, but my education for that. It would be my pleasure and honor to help others find that also, especially my fellow land-locked Tennesseans. I feel that my passion for academia, coupled with my experiences (including the many mistakes), make me an ideal candidate for the field of academic advising.

I have thought about academic advising as a career choice for years, but the past few months have found me seriously researching and planning to do just that. Following is the tentative plan that I have devised:

1. Continue working in the field of TESOL. It pays well. So, I not only get to live and learn as few get the chance to, I’m able to pay for my continued education and build savings.

2. Earn the Certificate in Academic Advising from Kansas State. I’ve done my research. Not only can I pursue this option online part-time while continuing to work, Kansas State is a school of reputation and quality; it has the Rhodes Scholars to prove it.

3. After earning my Certificate in Academic Advising, look for entry-level work in the field of academic advising, preferably in a Tennessee community college. This work can be paid or volunteer, because, at this time, I would like to be working on the Master’s in Academic Advising, which I see as a priority to obtaining meaningful work in the field. Without previous experience, I know that I can’t expect much to start with. This is why I think it wise to use the certificate to “get my foot in the door” early on while I finish the Master’s.

4. Upon completion of the master’s, which shouldn’t take more than 2 years, I should be ready to step into the role of academic adviser, considering the couple of years of paid or volunteer experience that I should have by then.

My professional goals do not terminate with becoming a fully-qualified academic advisor. I would like to reach out to other “second chance” scholars. I cannot expand much more than that at this time, but I expect that the professors and advisors at Kansas State can help me develop a clearer vision and plan for that.

As I have written this, I have found myself even more excited. It’s like the old saying goes, “How can you know what you believe until you have written it down?” Having written my objectives down for you, they have become even more real for me, and I am ready for graduate study at Kansas State University.