Learner Stories: Stefan Harris
Assistant Principal, Gwinnett County Schools
 
Ask Stefan Harris for advice about continuing your education,
and he will have two words for you: “Just start.” It was a single
class that gave Harris the drive to continue his studies, and he
went on to complete a master’s degree and a PhD specializing
in Educational Leadership at Capella University.
“You can’t do it unless you try,” Harris says. “You start with one
class and get that experience, and before you know it you get
into the rhythm.”
Harris found his rhythm, and says that his PhD from Capella
was instrumental in attaining his new role as an assistant
principal in Gwinnet County, Georgia. And it was his family,
Harris says, that gave him the support and encouragement he
needed to see it through.
He balanced his schedule between family, work, and education
by staying focused on one task at a time and by setting aside a
specific time for his coursework—one that worked for his family
as well as his job responsibilities. “That’s what made Capella so
special,” he says. “I had the flexibility that I needed.”
While in line to receive his doctoral diploma at the Capella
commencement ceremony, Harris was surprised to find his
4-year-old son running toward him. The whole procession
paused while he received a congratulatory hug from his son,
a testimony to the family achievement that his education had
become. “We’ll all remember that for a long time,” he says.
“With the right focus, he’ll get there one day too.&rdquo
“One day” will come much sooner for Harris’ wife, June. After
seeing her husband’s accomplishments, she was motivated to
do the same and is now a PhD student at Capella. Together,
the two have recommended Capella to dozens of friends and
colleagues.
“I tell them, it’s a route that’s different, but it’s a route that
empowers you to take your education to the highest level,”
Harris says. “And with my PhD, I feel like the sky is the limit.”
Harold Abel School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Psychology General
School of Business and Technology
General Organization and Management
Human Resource Management
Information Assurance and Security
Information Technology Management
Leadership
School of Education
Instructional Design for Online Learning
Leadership for Higher Education
Nursing Education
Postsecondary and Adult Education
Training and Performance Improvement
School of Public Service Leadership
Multidisciplinary Human Services
Harold Abel School of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Clinical Psychology
Counseling Psychology
General Mental Health Counseling
General School Counseling
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
School of Business and Technology
Finance
General Business Administration
General Human Resource Management
General Information Technology
Health Care Management
Information Technology - Project Management
Marketing
Leadership
School of Education
Instructional Design for Online Learning
Leadership in Educational Administration
Professional Studies in Education
Reading and Literacy
Training and Performance Improvement
School of Public Service Leadership
Criminal Justice
Health Care Administration
Social and Community Services
School of Undergraduate Studies
Business Administration
General Information Technology
Management and Leadership
Marketing
Network Technology
Project Management
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Learning & Career Outcomes
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