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.”