Introduction
First, let me give you some general information about my background and later I will explain how I came to realize my purpose and potential to be a helper in this world. My name is Melissa Lynn Ennis and I was born in Syracuse, New York. I am the youngest member of my family and I have an older brother and sister. My parents were born and raised within the Piedmont region of North Carolina in a two stop light town called Coats. When I was seven, my parents decided to move back to their hometown where I had the distinct privilege of receiving my elementary education in the same brick laden schoolhouse (with a few new additions) where both my parents and grandparents graduated high school. As a child, I was fortunate to have been given many opportunities to develop a strong work ethic. I began working at my aunt and uncle’s country store when I was ten and also cleaned houses and did yard work until I was old enough to get my driver’s license. After that I continued to work and attend school, but I dreamt of the day when I would go off to college to obtain my degree in veterinary medicine. I had volunteered at the local animal hospital for several summers and animals were my passion. That being the case, I graduated high school with honors and started my first semester at NC State University as an animal science major with an emphasis on veterinary medicine. After a year in the program, I decided to take a course in human behavior. It was then that I realized that I no longer desired to pursue a career that was centered on animals. I still wanted them to be a big part of my life, but not as something that made money. So, I decided to begin studying human behavior and what was at first just an inclination to be helpful to others became the main focus of my life. It was at
that point when I transferred to UNC Wilmington in order to pursue a Bachelor
of Arts degree in Sociology. It wasn’t until the summer of my final
year when I realized that I was not satisfied with my education and wanted
to understand humans as individuals. So, I began to take courses in psychology
and graduated with both degrees in the spring of 2002. I had also decided
early that spring to apply to graduate schools for an advanced degree
in clinical psychology. I was accepted into the master’s degree
program at UNCW and was set to begin taking classes that fall. In the
interim, I obtained a position at the university as Statistician and Assessment
Specialist for the Division of Student Affairs. It was this position which
led me to become interested in instructional technology. Everything
seemed to be going well for me. I got married during my second semester
of graduate school, had a house full of animals and a great job. I could
not have been happier until I began my practicum experience at a local
behavioral health hospital. It was not at all what I had expected and
I began to feel disillusioned with the program and the profession as a
whole. So, I made the decision to search out professions that involved
technology and would enable me to help people in other ways. That is when
I started to look into other graduate programs at UNCW and discovered
MIT. To Top Printable Version (PDF)
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by Melissa Ennis (melissaennis79@yahoo.com) ©2008 |