Grad Lands the Job Fast

Already armed with a master’s in special education, Emily Quinlan took Hood’s certification preparation path toward a future in educational leadership. Program director Roger Stenerson says he wasn’t surprised when Emily landed a teacher specialist position within two months of completing the 18-credit program in 2013. “She has tremendous energy, a strong sense of diplomacy and well-developed leadership skills.”

Emily credits the curriculum and faculty for equipping her with effective new mentoring, collaboration and professional development strategies for working with teachers of varying experience levels. “It is a great program for discovering your own leadership qualities while learning how to build positive relationships with other educators.”

As an itinerant teacher specialist with Frederick County Public Schools, Emily delivers consultative and direct services to students with disabilities and their instructional staffs at eight middle and six high schools. She mentors teachers, conducts observations and monitors instructional programming – as well as provides professional development.