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Spotlights » Diane N. Reed, '87
Diane N. Reed, '87, has achieved her dream, not without a fight, and is now encouraging others to do the same. A lifelong believer in achieving excellency through the power of education, this college professor, consultant, former nurse and mother of two had long held a goal of earning her PhD. " 'Becoming' for me, entailed being part of a minute segment of society, i.e., a woman of color possessing an extraordinary educational achievement - a PhD," explains Reed.
After graduating with a bachelor's of science in nursing from Grand Valley in 1987, Reed worked for years as a Registered Nurse specializing in Pediatrics, Labor and Delivery, and Maternal/Child. She began her family, moved to Florida and later earned an MBA in marketing from Florida Metropolitan University. She also began working as an adjunct instructor at local Florida colleges and universities including Seminole Community College, Valencia Community College, the University of Phoenix, and Florida Metropolitan University.
After years of hard work juggling her career, family and post-graduate studies, Reed was able to achieve her dream and became one of the less than 1% of all individuals to hold a doctorate degree. And the process has changed her life more than she could ever have thought when she set out.
Before entering into her doctoral studies, she had done extensive research and taken some sound advice - to be sure to follow a path of study that is engaging and that she had passion for - otherwise there would be a significant risk of not finishing. The process is arduous and expensive and she wanted to be sure to use the experience as an opportunity to do more with her life. She found a program that allowed for a great degree of flexibility in its coursework and developed her own specialty in the area of career planning. This specialty spawned her own consulting business, where she now consults with schools, colleges, private businesses and individuals regarding development of creative and innovative concepts for achieving career goals.
While studying for her PhD, she began interacting with other women undergoing similar challenges in their educational journey. She turned to these women for encouragement and advice and a few of them joked that they should make their stories into a book. Years later, this book would become a reality. THREE WOMEN One Dream was published in 2007 and catalogues Reed's story, along with two other like-minded women, as they navigated the turbulent doctoral waters and decided to become a champion for other women to pursue their educational dreams.
"I want to be sure to always be here to help encourage others," says Reed. "I couldn't have achieved my dream without the support of family, friends, and strangers, and feel I want to be able to provide that for others as well."
Reed will return to West Michigan to share that support in person during a book signing at Schuler Books and Music, 2660 28th Street, Grand Rapids on September 27, 2008. Contact dreedconsult@aol.com for more information.
Added September 2008
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