Name: Blake Richter
Graduation Year: 2022
Major: Doctorate of Educational Leadership, Curriculum, and Instruction
Current Position: Director of Choirs, Nixa Junior High School
City and State: Nixa, Missouri
Tell us about your career and what you do now.
I am currently in my seventh year of teaching and all seven of these years have been spent in the Nixa Public Schools District. I taught 5th and 6th Grade General Music and Choir at Inman Intermediate for five years, then moved to being the Director of Choirs at Nixa Junior High School for the last two years.
What is your favorite memory from Evangel?
All of my classes were online through my doctoral program, but I still felt like I was a part of the EU family! The professors were always available to help and they were consistently kind and encouraging. My classmates were the same way. During group projects, we would have incredible Zoom sessions filled with laughter, fellowship, and learning from one another. I have grown so much as a leader through this program and I owe it all to my amazing professors and cohort members.
How did Evangel help you identify/develop your calling?
I am a young educator. Oftentimes, I do not feel like I can be a leader in education since I have only been teaching for seven years. Evangel has helped me get rid of that lie I have been telling myself. The professors and cohort members have been extremely encouraging throughout this whole program and have molded me into the leader I am today. Evangel has given me the tools to be a leader in the field of education.
What advice would you give a current student preparing for the workforce?
Do not forget to set boundaries! Having a healthy balance between work and home life is essential. At the beginning of my career, I tried to prove myself and I didn’t set healthy boundaries whatsoever. I paid for that later because people assumed I would continue to do the same amount of work I had always done, but I realized the amount of work I was doing was not healthy for me or for my family. Set these boundaries immediately and save yourself the headache of having to backtrack later in life.
What would you look for if you were in a position to hire new graduates from Evangel?
As an educational leader, I would look for young professionals who are passionate about helping students become the best version of themselves they can be. This requires having a positive attitude, creating a positive classroom environment, being student-focused and not self-focused, and working well with others. It is also important to show that you are willing and eager to learn from others. None of us have it all figured out and we never will. There will forever be additional skills to learn from our colleagues.