Student Spotlight: Lisa Whiteaker, Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership

The Walden University Writing Center is privileged to work with talented students. In the Student Spotlight Series, we aim to support incredible work our students do, both in and out of the classroom. The goal of the Student Spotlight Series is to provide the Walden community with a place to build bridges and make connections by developing shared understanding of the diverse and varied student journey. Students share stories about their writing process, their efforts towards social change, and their motivations for pursuing higher education. We ask questions, and students generously answer.

This Student Spotlight features Lisa Whiteaker, student of the The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership. 

How would you describe your personality to someone just meeting you?

People often initially describe me as being a sweet, kind person. Upon further inspection, I am also organized, meticulous, and goal-oriented. There are aspects of my personality that people are generally surprised about. I am quiet and sometimes shy, but I love fast cars, the color red, and Bon Jovi!

What are you passionate about? What are your hobbies?

As a teacher, I am passionate about education and making an impact in the lives of children. I love learning  more so I can apply my knowledge to help a child learn. I am passionate about learning. I have always been a reader and hope I can teach my students to love learning as well. 

Here is Lisa in her backyard!

I live in Wyoming and, as such, I enjoy the mountains and the beauty of nature. I also love to bake. My favorite cookbook is The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show cookbook. I highly recommend this cookbook! The recipes for Strawberry Cream Cake and Classic Brownies are absolutely delicious. I love to spend time with my two children and my husband. We enjoy going to the park, watching movies, and reading together.

What is your educational background? 

My educational background is a combination of many experiences. I grew up in Wyoming, but moved to Kansas after graduation to be near my mom. In 1998, I completed one semester at Emporia State University. Then I attended a small Bible college for a few years in Missouri. After a long break from college, and after moving back to Wyoming with my husband and children, I went back to school at the age of 30 years old. I attended our local junior college, Casper College, to begin to finish up my degree. After Casper College, I transferred to the University of Wyoming at Casper. I really enjoyed every step of my journey and am thankful for all the teachers who made deposits in my life. My story shows that it is never too late to go back and pick up where you left off. It is never too late to make a decision to gain more education to better your life. 

How do you fuel yourself during the writing process?

I am not sure if anyone else feels this way, but, for me, the writing process is laborious. There is a definite cyclical process to writing, and I often feel as though I am slugging my way through it. I have found, though, the more time I invest in the process of collecting and organizing my thoughts and systematically relaying my ideas in my rough draft, the less time I have to invest in revising. To make it through the stages of writing, I definitely need something to keep me going. To fuel myself during the writing process, I turn to coffee, ice tea, and the occasional piece of dark chocolate. Also, gathering more information through academic journals and my own personal resource books fuels me. These sources help me to connect all the new information I have acquired with my own personal experiences, tying the entire writing process together.

What inspires you to write?

Currently, deadlines and due dates are my inspiration to write! Beyond what I must complete for the classes I am taking, I truly believe that becoming a proficient writer is an important life skill. Being able to communicate with others through words is a universal means of connecting. This in and of itself is inspiring to me.

What is one Writing Center service you would recommend to new students? 

The Writing Center service I would recommend to new students is having your paper reviewed. At first, it took me awhile to get my paper written long enough in advance that I could have time to have my paper reviewed. Once I got into the flow, it has not been difficult to get my papers finished in time for a review. I would strongly recommend that new students use this valuable resource. I would also recommend choosing one specific person to review your papers. It helps to have the same person looking over your writing because they can give you specific feedback on how you are growing as a writer.

Have you encountered any challenges while at Walden and how did you overcome those challenges? 

Someone once told me, “The process is part of the promise.” Challenges are a part of the process. I have taken this to mean that each valley and mountain I encounter along my journey is part of what makes me who I am. Each experience in my life gives me a skill or understanding that I can later share with others. There have definitely been challenges while I have been pursuing my master’s degree, and I have relied on my family, colleagues where I work, and colleagues in my classes to help give me the strength to get me through to the next phase. I have also relied on myself and I always remember that sometimes the best things in life are those which are difficult to obtain.

What does social change mean to you? How have you worked toward social change in your personal/professional life? 

Part of what drew me to Walden University was the strong view on positive social change, as this has always been important to me in my personal life. To me, being an agent of positive social change means making a difference in someone else’s life for the better. It means giving part of what I have or know to make the way more equitable or easier for someone else. My husband and I have always been people who have given to others. Though the ways in which we have given may be small, they were significant to those who were the recipients. My favorite quote is from The Little Princess by Francis H. Burnett. In the story, Sara, the main character, has lost everything she held dear. It was at this point she declared, “If nature has made you for a giver, your hands are born open, and so is your heart; and though there may be times when your hands are empty, your heart is always full, and you can give things out of that—warm things, kind things, sweet things….”

This has always been my mantra and it guides me daily as I interact with and come across people who need a friend and a helping hand.

The Walden Writing Center provides information and assistance to students with services like live chat, webinars, course visits, paper reviews, podcasts, modules, and the writing center webpages. Through these services they provide students assistance with APA, scholarly writing, and help students gain skills and confidence to enhance their scholarly work.

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