Black Educators Matter – Associate Professor Dr. Sheena C. Howard

Dr. Sheena C. Howard (Philadelphia, PA)

Career: Associate Professor of Communication at Rider University and An Award-Winning Author

Steps towards becoming an Associate Professor: I always wanted to be a teacher, but after taking an elementary education course in college, I learned that I didn’t want to teach younger kids. After graduating from college with a degree in Business Administration, I furthered my education and received a master’s degree in Graphic Design. I then went onto Howard University to get a Ph.D. in Intercultural and Rhetorical Communication. With a Ph.D., you have an opportunity to teach full-time on the college level. Once I got my Ph.D., I started teaching and writing about social justice issues.

1- What is a quality that makes you successful in your career?

Effort. Results. Whatever I do, I put my best foot forward (effort), and from there, I get positive results. No matter how big or small the task is, you need to do your best. The more effort you put in, the better the chance of a positive result.

2- What 3 tips would you give someone struggling to reach their goals?

You have to find the one thing or things that motivate you. Motivation comes from within, and only you know what types of things motivate you. Motivation is the thing that inspires you to reach your full potential.

3- Name the top 3 goals you achieved?

#1- I believe in setting small, achievable goals that also challenge you.

#2- I wrote my first book by the age of 30.

#3- I received my Ph.D. from Howard University.

These small goals led me to bigger goals and so on and so forth.

4- What inspired you to reach your goals? I was inspired by the outcomes of the goals I set. For my first book, I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, and I wanted to help those that needed the book I wrote. Getting a Ph.D. was inspired by my love of learning and education. I was inspired to write a comic book because I wanted to reach different types of people and inspire people who are underrepresented in the media.

5- How did you overcome obstacles to achieving your goals? One of the major obstacles for me has always been people trying to distract me from reaching my goals by telling me that I can’t do it. I use these naysayers as motivation. When people say me I can’t or won’t, I use that as fuel to prove them wrong. I am cautious about who I share my dreams and goals with. Often, people are negative about your dreams and goals because they have insecurity within themselves.

6-How do you keep your inspiration from decreasing? I try to remind myself of all the positive things I have in my life. I continuously envision what my life will be like when I complete a goal, and I continuously envision the type of life I want to have. These things keep me going. I also have cut out negative people from my life and filled my circle with people who can give me advice, who love and who genuinely want to see me succeed.

To learn more about Dr. Sheena C. Howard follow on Twitter @DrSheenaHoward and  visit http://sheenachoward.com

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