Lynn Carmouche was a middle school science teacher who wanted to go
back to school, but circumstances made that tough. "I always had a dream
to become a principal one day," she says, "but all the colleges near me
were 45 minutes away. I had a young family and I was working full time, so
that wouldn't work for me."
She knew that to achieve her dream, she needed an accredited university.
She also needed to be able to continue working and be there for her family.
When she heard about Capella, she saw the opportunity she'd been looking
for. "Flexibility at an accredited university was the number one factor for
choosing Capella. I was confident I was going to get what I needed to
pursue my dream."
At first, Carmouche wondered what personal interaction would be like
with online learning. In the courseroom she quickly found that she'd learn
from—and collaborate with—both faculty and classmates. "I found out
what others around the country are doing in the same field, and I could
bounce ideas off other professionals facing the same challenges I was
facing," she says. "We worked together to solve problems."
She also found that her courses applied to her teaching. "There were courses
that helped me right away, that gave me new perspective and changed the
way I taught in my classroom," recalls Carmouche. "And with the wonderful
resources I got, I was able to use data-based research to prove and document
why I was doing what I was doing when teaching my classes."
Carmouche earned her MS from Capella in December 2008, and just a
few months later accepted a position as Assistant Principal of Lutcher High
School in St. James Parish. She enjoys her new leadership role. "Now
I'm leading teachers to improve their instruction, leading students to be
more responsible in all their courses, and guiding parents toward better
parenting skills…it's exciting," she says.
She also has inspiring words for others starting down the same path: "It's
not always easy, but you can do it. When there's a fork in the road, you've
got to keep your eyes on the prize. Keep going and remember there are
others going through the same thing. Open up that discussion, share your
concerns, and get support."