With more than 20 years in education, Edith Funes has served as a teacher, principal, and now Senior Principal Supervisor for the Los Angeles School District. Rockhurst University’s Online Ed.D. in K-12 Leadership provided the right fit with online flexibility and strong faculty support. Through the program, she was able to manage both her career and studies while gaining the skills to inspire future leaders and advocate within schools.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

Hi, I am Edith Funes and I am part of the Doctorate of Education and Leadership at Rockhurst University. I started as a teacher, moved on to pursue school principalship, and was a high school principal for 10 years. Currently, I have the privilege of supervising high school principals for the Los Angeles School District.

It was very appealing to see that there was a program that really targeted and focused on kindergarten through 12th grade. Although online learning was not something I ever would have considered, I came to the realization that it could be an opportunity for me to not only focus on my education but also have the flexibility to focus on my career and do both at the same time. All the boxes were being checked off, and I thought, “Oh my God, this is a no-brainer.” Everything matched the philosophy and mission, and everything was very current, with practical assignments that are aligned to the work I’m doing—so very useful.

This to me means that they very much support their students. They believe in their students, and I’ve certainly had that experience. What really stands out to me is the staff—the people, the professors. They’re personable and there to ensure that we accomplish what we set out to accomplish. Although it was an individualized, personalized program, I didn’t feel like I was on my own. During times when work got very heavy, professors quickly emailed me and made me feel like they knew me, even though we’ve never physically met.

I was familiar with the dissertation process and the chapters, but not the capstone. What I came to realize was that the capstone felt similar to a dissertation but was certainly much more manageable. I definitely wanted an opportunity to grow as an educator and be a courageous leader and model for others.