Scholarship recipients prepare to positively influence higher education

Amy Barton, recipient of the Carol Macpherson Memorial Scholarship and Nue Lor recipient of the Dr. Nancy “Rusty” Barceló Scholarship at the 2014 Celebrating University Women Awards Program
Amy Barton, recipient of the Carol Macpherson Memorial Scholarship and Nue Lor recipient of the Dr. Nancy “Rusty” Barceló Scholarship at the 2014 Celebrating University Women Awards Program

Recent scholarship recipients, Amy Barton and Nue Lor share the journeys that led them to pursue master’s degrees in Multicultural College Teaching and Learning within the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning.

Using values to define identity and purpose.
As an undergraduate in Family Social Science, Amy Barton knew she wanted a career that involved helping others. After graduating in 2007, she worked in a couple of direct-service positions. These positions were rewarding but Barton thought something was missing. Therefore, she shifted focus and accepted a position with an advertising agency. “I viewed this as a good opportunity to gain some new skills, especially in regard to strategic thinking,” says Barton. “But, my heart wasn’t in it. I really missed being in a helping role.”

While serving on the CEHD Alumni Society Board, Barton started to see higher education as an environment that matched closely with her values and strengths. She connected with a faculty member in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning: associate professor Dr. Tabitha Grier-Reed. Through interactions with Grier-Reed, Barton realized how much their interests aligned and was introduced to the Multicultural College Teaching and Learning graduate program.

For Barton, values play a significant role in her life choices and the approach she uses to support students as a career counselor graduate intern in CEHD Career Services. Her work and research focus on how values shape identity and how understanding one’s values can assist students in career planning. This values-based approach will be central to Barton’s Capstone final project: a professional development workshop for advisors.

She finds working with students rewarding. “I appreciate getting to know who they are, and helping students discover their identities,” says Barton. “It’s also validating to have them come in multiple times and seeing the changes they’ve made between visits,” she says. “I know how much it takes to show up for the first appointment, and when students come back, it shows they feel supported.” Amy Barton plans to graduate with a Master’s in Multicultural College Teaching and Learning in May 2015.

Reframing frustration for positive change.
Nue Lor describes her academic path as long and difficult, beginning with high ambitions but hindered by roadblocks surrounding a misdiagnosis of her bipolar disorder. Prior to graduating summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota, Lor struggled at three different universities. “I felt like a failure,” she recalls. “One advisor even told me, ‘Maybe education isn’t for you. Maybe you should just go get a job.’ I realize it was the institutions that failed me.”

“Now that I have the right treatment, I view having bipolar as a companion I’ve learned to walk with,” says Lor who believes being open about her diagnosis is the best way to help others in need of resources and support.

Although Lor is a first-generation college student, education is highly valued by her parents, Hmong refugees who came to the U.S. before she was born. In Laos, her father endured extreme conditions, walking nearly thirty miles and living in a makeshift home during the week, to pursue a high school education. Of her six siblings, four have bachelor’s degrees and two are currently enrolled in college.

As a first-year Multicultural College Teaching and Learning master’s candidate, Lor’s early frustrations and her father’s influence drive her desire for a career within higher education administration. “I feel it’s important to have the administration accurately reflect the student population,” says Lor. “Currently only 13% of college presidents are people of color.”

“When I saw the phrase ‘You belong here’ on the PsTL website, it strongly resonated with me,” says Lor. “I could tell it was a program that valued multicultural perspectives, access and equity.” Lor plans to use her experience and education to shape the future of higher education. Her big dream is to be the president of a college or university some day. “I want to contribute my knowledge to society,” she says. “I hope to positively impact families, communities and the larger world.”