I want to study Educational Leadership to one day be an effective, supportive, and influential leader to others. The reason being is that I feel like everyone deserves to have the support that I have been lucky enough to have from my current and previous administrators. As a third-year teacher, I was not looking ahead to the path of administration, as I was starting to get the hang of things in the classroom. I knew I wanted to begin my Master's sooner than later, but I had not decided on a particular path. Although I have had many great administrators, one specific individual helped guide me towards educational administration and specifically to this program at TCNJ. When I first moved to Kuwait, I was a second-year teacher, and it was my first time living internationally. There were a lot of unknowns ahead of me, but I was excited about my new journey. Lucky for me, ASK ended up being an excellent school in which I felt entirely supported. One administrator, specifically Ms. Wichser, took me under her wing and helped make my transition into international teaching very smooth. She led by example and made a point to build relationships with her teachers and our students. She was a problem solver, and even if she did not have an answer right away, she made sure to find one. 
Ms. Wichser approached me during my first year at ASK and asked if I had an interest in leadership. I was truly humbled and excited by this, and she then helped guide me into my new position as the Grade Three Team Lead. She also shared information with me about the Educational Leadership Program at TCNJ. Katie is truly the type of administrator that I strive to be one day. I believe that a leader tries to bring the best out in others. A person who takes the time to get to know the people that they are leading. Also, a leader builds relationships to set the foundation of trust between them and their peers. In education specifically, a leader supports, encourages, and lifts their educators to help them be the best they can be for themselves and their students. Through this course, I hope to begin my journey as an effective leader in education and develop a better understanding of the responsibilities of an educational leader.