2008 to 2010

Calvary Cathedral Int’l. Bible School

Associate of Arts Degree in Practical Biblical Theology

Calvary Cathedral Bible School was my first goal-directed re-entry into higher education.  It was a two-year program that I was invited to visit, and it was never my intention to attend Bible college.  Once there, I enjoyed the class so much, I decided to enroll. 

The class involved the study of the major biblical themes, e.g., salvation, worship, creation; and how these themes could be applied to life in practical ways.   It was a life-changing experience as we focused and dedicated our study during that two-year period, to biblical principles and themes.   I clearly left a different person than I was coming in. 

The class had started several months prior to my enrollment.  As we studied and worshiped together, shared our experiences, and prayed for one another, we became a united group.  During our final year as we began to approach graduation, the only way I could graduate with my group, was to make up all the lessons I had missed in the beginning.  I remember it seemed an impossible task at the time, but it was so important for me to finish with my group, that I accepted the challenge and did double work for several months — and did graduate with my class.

My fascination with organization dynamics began in 1994, when a pastor gave me a book entitled, “Process Consultation,” by Edgar H. Schein, of the Sloan School of Management.  Many in the field of organization development (OD), consider this book to be one of the premiere writings on the OD subject.  Process Consultation was first published in 1988, and shows that Schein had foresight far ahead of his time as he explains the relationship between organizational processes and human processes, and the relevancy of the role of human processes in how organizations develop and achieve their goals (Schein, 1988).  When you integrate the role of human processes with OD, in a very natural sense, it ushers in leadership, and its influence on the human process as they affect organization dynamics.

I say that, simply to say that it was this passion that led me to enroll in an undergrad program for Organizational Leadership at NAU.

2015 to 2017

Grand Canyon University

Graduate Certification in Life Coaching (GCLC)

Master of Science in Psychology

I found coaching to be an empowering helping tool that encouraged me to think for myself. The more I opened myself to the concepts of coaching, the more I was able to overcome minor and major obstacles I faced in life. As a result, I pursued academic certification as a coach.

I was introduced to coaching while attending a three-day class at church called the ID Seminar. It was a combination of teaching followed by coaching sessions, where the coaches asked us relevant questions that helped us become more aware of who we are and how we got to be who we are. We learned that we were our own experts, and had many of the answers we needed inside of ourselves; and those answers could be accessed by increasing our awareness through activities like prayer, looking at our Strengths, considering our backgrounds and how we approach life.

Being the learner that I am, I followed that certification up with a Master of Science in Psychology which allowed me to build a stronger foundation for coaching.

Just when I thought I was done, I heard about a master’s program at Grand Canyon Univ., and could not resist; so back I went. But, it turned out to be the perfect capstone to my educational career. It brought all the pieces together in a way that added both clarity and direction. I love it!

This was a sleeper and probably my last formal certification. Since I don’t have a background in Human Resources, I felt this aPHR designation as an Associate Professional in Human Resources will provide me with a professional status to accompany my academic background and to legitimize my upcoming plans for Creative Alignment Coaching & Consulting, LLC. Feeling very positive as I move forward.