M.S. LEARNING DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

My name is Erica Allen-Jamison. I am currently a graduated student at the University of South Florida seeking a M.S. Instructional Design and Technology degree. My expected graduation is December 2022. 

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My journey to graduate school was anything but typical. I graduate with my B.A. in English and Communications from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts with plans on working in the corporate world. Well- this plan came ot a halt when the recession hit in 2008 (the year I graduated) and as a recent college graduate it was nearly impossible for me to find a job in my field. This was when I took a job as a Traffic Coordinator and Children's Radio Host at Emerson College in Boston, MA.

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I decided that I wanted to tap back into my artistic side that I fostered while going to Boston Arts Academy as a Dance major for High School and become a professional Ballroom Dance Instructor for the Fred Astaire School of Dance. It was great to get back into the arts, but I still felt that something was missing. This is when I made a complete career change and decided I wanted to make a difference in young learners lives by joining Teach for America. 

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In 2010 I joined Teach for America in Memphis, TN where I earned my teaching certification while simultaneously helping start a new charter school in the region as a founding Kindergarten teacher. This lead me to a 10 year career in education where I taught in the states of Tennessee, Massachusettes, and Florida. 

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Then Covid 19 happened. I was one of the teachers who was forced to move my classroom teaching to an online platform overnight. With little guidance and a lack of resources I realized the importance of making sure that students, teachers, and organizations alike are prepared for the digital world. This sparked my interest in Instructional design. I decided to go back to school after 13 years to help transition into the career of Instructional Design so that I could help organizations change from  paper-based teaching/training  to a fully-online platform. 

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I am so excited to be starting my career in Instructional Design and am even more excited to be graduating with my Masters degree this December!