An animated program to inspire children with special needs. The transformation of an urban college. A summer program for children in a war-ravaged nation. Walden students continue to prove that an online education can help you make an impact.
Each year, Walden University, an accredited institution offering online degrees, honors students and graduates that are effecting positive social change with its Scholars of Change video contest. These three recipients from last year’s contest are using their online education degrees from Walden to change their world and the world of others.
Benjamin Isaac: Leveraging the power of teaching and technology
While pursuing an online education degree from Walden, Benjamin Isaac was inspired to create an animated show to encourage children with special needs.
“Research shows that special needs students who feel good about themselves perform better academically than those who do not,” says this Scholar of Change, who’s pursuing his EdD with a special education specialization.
Through research-based teaching strategies, Isaac put his online education to work, creating three animated insects, each with a special need and voiced by a child with the same condition: Skeeter, a mosquito with autism; Buzz, a fly with ADHD; and, GiGi, a grasshopper modeled after Isaac’s own daughter, who has cerebral palsy.
Pursuing an online education degree with Walden, “Has helped me develop this show into an entertaining piece of media with the potential to educate the world about the true nature of children with special needs,” he says. “It is my hope that the characters will serve to inspire, influence, and impact all children with special needs.”
Dorsey Kendrick: Breathing new life into an urban college
When Dorsey Kendrick began her tenure as president of Gateway Community College in New Haven, Connecticut, the school’s facilities were in disrepair, student population was low—hovering at just 3,000 students—and it was disconnected from the greater community.
Inspired by the online education she received in her PhD in Education degree program at Walden University, Kendrick used her expertise to give the urban college the boost it needed. The school received an extensive renovation; enrollment nearly tripled; and its state-of-the-art facilities have made it a hub of community activity, creativity, and enthusiasm.
“My experience was extremely positive,” the Scholar of Change says of her Walden online education. “I think the most positive thing is that I learned so much from so many people, from so many parts of this country.”
Before Kendrick received her online education degree, Gateway, “Was an urban school that was disconnected from the community,” she recalls. “Today that has changed immensely.”
Bobby Gueh: Helping children in war-torn Liberia
A native Liberian, Bobby Gueh felt a pull to help educate the children of war-torn Liberia. So he put his online education degree from Walden to work by teaming with the MacDella Cooper Foundation to implement a summer enrichment program for Liberian children.
Equipped with the skills he needed thanks to his education degree, the Scholar of Change developed a 2-week summer program to provide Liberian children with the tools they need to thrive, including math, reading, writing, team building, debate, and creative performances.
Gueh’s online education continues to help give Liberia’s school-age children, almost half of whom do not attend school, “A platform to dream and aspire for greatness,” he says.
Ready to change your world and the world of others with an online education from Walden? Explore how our diverse education degree programs can help you meet your career goals in a convenient online format that fits your busy schedule.
Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.