Quest for Higher Education, KSU PhD Student

My Story:

Completing a Ph.D. program is the next step in continuing the process toward excellence. I believe this program will develop me personally in workplace advancements on all subject matters, such as leadership, systems, organizational growth, and overall business management dynamics. Managing a business is a complex undertaking I engage and grow with daily. Analytics and the hands-on new and previously proven processes underpin a well-rounded path into research, development, and teaching. All of which create the perfect environment for the Ph.D. program educational opportunity. We have already improved morale, increased productivity, decreased payroll, and increased revenue at my organization. The Ph.D. program will focus on concepts, deliberations, and strategies to further this great organization by applying these strategies. I want to know more, understand more, and master more. I am in the right place at the right time to continue this educational journey. Continuing my education translates into being a more significant asset to the company, my staff, and myself. When I look in the mirror each morning over the last few years, I have observed my smile broaden, my stride, and even my gestures blossom. I have evolved into not just a manager but an executive, and my next evolution is into a Ph.D. program candidate, no Ph.D. graduate. I often think of my grandmother, who has passed, but I hear her saying, “You are too smart for your own good, and that’s the only thing wrong with you.” My grandmother may be the wisest person I have ever known. She was right all along. Being in school, learning, and sharing knowledge has created a better version of myself, more emotionally complete and independent. No longer afraid of my thoughts and dreams, I can move forward in a direction that had not previously occurred to me. Not only can I do this, but I am good at it and improving each day with each lesson I learn. A Ph.D. in Business/Health Administration is the next logical step needed to continue to grow, develop and achieve my dreams of research and teaching.

During my educational journey, teaching remains one recurring theme in my day-to-day professional interactions with others. I am regularly called upon to research, learn and teach all I have known personally, professionally, and academically. It brings me joy and satisfaction and humbles me when I see the light bulb go off in a person’s eyes. I can then see they are following the information being shared and now own that knowledge that can never be taken away. Everyone deserves the opportunity to grow and thrive, and I want to facilitate others, as I have been so fortunate to have the chance to experience. My unique journey should be shared and will be best served in society’s future as a researcher and academic. If I had been asked all those years ago what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would have given very different answers than I find myself giving today. Maybe a veterinarian, a lawyer, or, at one point, even a recording guitarist as a career. All those answers seem provided by a very different person than my journey has created. I seek admission into a Ph.D. program because the answer to what I want to be when I grow up is straightforward. I now realize that it has always been a researcher and educator for those who, like me, aspire for more.

As a healthcare administrative worker for over twenty years, undergraduate and graduate of multiple advanced studies programs, I bring a unique perspective to any Ph.D. program. I have held every position in a private physician’s office, from the back office, check-in/out, insurance verification, surgery scheduler, billing specialist, assistant manager, billing manager, and Central Business Office Manager. Know this industry from the inside up the hard way. I know what it is like to run a healthcare organization’s everyday jobs and have the experience to bring an organization into the future. With hard work and dedication, I believe all dreams can come true, and I live that life. As a Central Business Office Manager growing up inside a private physician practice, I know more of the intricate working of a physician practice. Statistics and research are the simple analytical tools used in my current role.

Additionally, I have a keen interest in the following areas of healthcare’s impact on societal growth and wellness. The concept of universal healthcare and universal nutrition availability is in my mind. The indirect or direct effects of quality healthcare for all community’s societal advancement and enlightenment. The correlations that may be drawn related to business and healthcare trends are critically important.

The experience that comes with hands-on work and the knowledge that comes from a solid education is what I possess. I can see my experiences being used for the good of humanity in the future. While writing this paper, I was still unsure what program would best fit me, but that is now clear. Kennesaw State University is the best, most logical choice for a Ph.D. in Business Administration program. The continuation of my journey towards the unknown but bright future in-store. A well-suited place for me to continue to pursue my education while continuing to thrive in my career. It is the necessary direction my life is headed, a destination that is a part of my career and personal growth journey. I am the ideal candidate for the KSU Ph.D. program, ready to prove who I am and can be with the proper education and guidance. You will not find me wanting in dedication, hard work, determination, or loyalty to a program with so much to offer me as I have to contribute to the KSU Ph.D. program.

Thank you,

Shelly