Professional Identity Statement

Having a passion for working with children and exploring digital creativity, I am looking to pursue a career path that
intersects education and technology. The Butler University College of Education Vision Statement inspires my goals for
being an educator by allowing me to see that the educator/student relationship is mutual in terms of growth and
support. My goal as an educator will be to provide the opportunities and environments that foster curiosity, innovation,
and critical thinking in the minds of my students. I will do this by making sure that students' opinions and interests are
what guide the learning process. I believe that student/educator relationships and collaboration are crucial in a school
environment, and are something that I will make sure to focus on as an educator.

Individualized Professional Development Plan

NAME: MAJOR & MINORS:

Sarah Miller Major: Web Design and Development, Minors: Education, French
WHY are you pursuing this degree? WHAT do you want the outcome to be? HOW are you going to work toward
making that outcome possible?

WHY: I have always had a passion for being creative and working with youth. I am interested in pursuing a major in Web Design
and Development, because it allows me the creative freedom that I crave. I am attention oriented and enjoy making projects
visually appealing, which are important qualities for this field. In addition, I thrive off interacting with others and being there as a
support, which is why I am excited about pursuing an education minor. Finally, I’ve had a passion for French language and culture
since 6th grade, and pursuing a French minor allows me to continue learning and exploring all things French!

WHAT: I am interested in combining the Web Design and Development Major with an education minor because, as we’ve seen
over the past two years with the pandemic; technology is becoming increasingly important in the education setting. I would like to
pursue a career in an educational setting with a potential focus on Instructional Technology. I want to develop programs that
support students' learning, as well as help students understand how technology can be used as a tool. Regarding my French minor,
I simply want to expand my knowledge of French culture and improve my skills communicating in French.

HOW: Although there is not a specific Instructional Technology major offered at Butler, I will take the required classes for the
Web Design and Development major, as well as those for the Education minor because they will prepare me with many of the skills
needed for this career. If everything goes well and I stay on this track, I anticipate developing my Education Minor into a Youth and
Community Development Major. This will allow me to further pursue my interests of working with youth, while not being a
classroom teacher. In terms of continuing pursuing my passion for French language and culture, I will make sure to dedicate time
in my day and schedule for French classes or practice.
 Personal Goals: Professional Goals:

TIMEFRAME (e.g. Positional goals, membership to organizations, (e.g. Gaining further skills, advancing knowledge in
exploring opportunities, etc.) specific areas, voluntary work, etc.)

❖ Volunteer with Project Shop N’ Drop; packing ❖ Continue working my Office Assistant position,
bags of groceries & delivering them to local at least 12 hours a week.
families.
SUMMER ❖ Do 5-10 minutes on Duolingo everyday to
❖ Focus on Mental Health: Get back into practice my French skills.
2022 reading for fun! Read at least 1 book a month.
❖ Watch videos & practice coding to improve my
❖ Focus on Physical Health: Exercise everyday skills in HTML and CSS.
(ie. walk, bike, go to gym, swim, etc.).
❖ Restart my babysitting gigs from last summer.
❖ Make an effort to see friends from Butler who
(Gives me experience & opportunity to work
live around my hometown!
with kids.)

❖ Become a GM for College Mentors for Kids. ❖ Attend at least 2 workshops or presentations
throughout the semester (1 hosted by CCOM &
❖ Continue as the Marketing Chair for Hillel. 1 hosted by CoE).

❖ Serve as a Fellow for the ICC. ❖ Attend a Study Abroad Info Session & meet
FALL with an advisor to start planning study abroad
❖ Continue as a representative for my member (Possibly 1st Semester Junior Year).
2022 class on my sorority’s Standards Board.
❖ Create stronger relationships with professors
❖ Actively participate in at least 1 new
by going to Office Hours and asking for
organization on campus.
help/feedback.

❖ Become more involved in French Club.

 Assets and Provocations

Planned Activities Objective of Each Activity Impacts on Learning

Knowledge/Skills To gain this knowledge, I plan

That I Will Gain: to…
1.) This will help prepare me for
1a.) Use online resources such
1.) Improve my understanding future classes by creating a solid
as W3 Schools to find
and coding skills in HTML & base. If I feel comfortable with
educational resources &
CSS. these base coding languages, it
tutorials.
1.) Coding in HTML & will allow me to be successful
CSS 1b.) Do mini practice projects with more complex concepts.
to improve & apply my coding
skills in HTML & CSS.

2.) This will allow me to envision

2a. Read books or articles on future career goals. It is
the applications of technology 2.) Achieve a better important for me to understand
in education. understanding on how I can how educators are actively using
2.) Technology in combine and apply my Web technology in creative ways, to
Education 2b. Watch TED Talks on how Design major and Education see the extent of the possibilities
educators have/are currently minor. out there.
using technology with their
students.
 Planned Activities Objective of Each Activity Impacts on Learning

Assets/Strengths To develop these strengths,

● Further improve my ● Give me an opportunity
My Strengths Are: I plan to…
strengths and allow me to exhibit my assets and
- Creative Mind ● Apply for/continue to focus on becoming a have leadership
- Patience leadership positions in better leader. experience.
- Diligent organizations I am in
- Organizational Skills (ex. College Mentors for
Kids).
● Get me out of my ● Allow me to feel more
comfort zone in terms involved on campus and
I Need Strengths In: ● Attend at least 1 event a of the events I attend, learn about topics that I
month that is on a topic information I learn, and do not know much about.
- Going Out Of My
that is not related to people I interact with.
Comfort Zone
what I am studying.
- Leadership
Professional Growth Specific actions I will take in
Fall 2022… ● Gain a deeper ● Allows me to understand
Consider:
understanding of topics other perspectives, and
● Attend educational
● gaps in related to my major & aspects of the areas I am
workshops related to
knowledge/skills minors. studying.
my major & minors.
● opportunities on
the horizon ● Get a better
● Meet with CoE advisor
● Start to consider future understanding of the
● what specific to discuss plans & goals
career goals. resources offered in CoE
actions will help for the future.
and how I can build a
you progress?
path to reach my goals.
● Attend professor’s office
● Create stronger
hours.
relationships with my ● Gain a better
·
professors. understanding of course
material & feel more
comfortable asking
questions.
 Major:

Web Design & Development (CCOM Mission): http://butler.edu/communication/about/

“The College of Communication prepares students to thrive in our diverse and globally interconnected
world.”

Alignment to Vision,
Mission, Minors:
Commitments,
Major, or Minor Education (COE Vision): https://www.butler.edu/education/about/vision-mission-core-values/

“The College of Education envisions a world where educators serve as inclusive collaborators and
agents of change toward a just society.”

French (LAS Core Values): https://www.butler.edu/arts-sciences/core-values/

“As students of the liberal arts, we cultivate as fully as possible the legacy of human thought,
imagination, creativity, and research; observe nature; confront and evaluate important theories that
shape our understanding of the world and how to care for it; figure out how societies, our own and
those of others, work and can be improved;…” “The liberal arts develop not only critical but also
creative skills, not only rational analysis but also creative expression. They seek to develop and realize
the fullness of the human personality.”
 Activity Log

Description of Professional Timeframe Connection to your Stated Objectives Above

Development Activity Completed

❖ Four Field Trips to Local

Educational Settings (ED 112)

➢ Rousseau McClellan Spring 2022 - Interacted with students of a variety of ages and
School 91 Total of > 8 hours backgrounds. It was interesting seeing the varying
➢ Pike High School (ED 112) teaching styles of the educators at the different sites.
➢ Butler Lab School 55
➢ Sycamore School

❖ Individual Talk with Professionals - Discussed my academic and professional goals to help
me build a general course path to follow in order to
➢ Carrie Rector, Professor in Fall 2021 / Spring 2022 achieve these goals.
CCom & CCom Advisor Total of 2 hours
- Discussed personal goals and how to achieve them here
➢ Courtney Rousseau, CaPS Fall 2021 at Butler. She opened my eyes to all the possible paths I
Career Advisor Total of 2 hours could take to combine my interests. Meeting with her
really solidified my decision to add an Education minor.
❖ Professional Work that is Related - Sent professional emails and created/organized digital
to your Major/Minor which improved my communication, organizational, and
problem solving skills. These are two skills that are very
➢ Office Assistant, Traycee Total of > 70 hours over important in both the fields of Education and Web
Home Care the year Design.

➢ Service Learning Tutor at Total of 20 hours over the - Volunteered at North Central High School’s Learning
North Central High School semester Center and helped high school students with their
homework. This allowed me to work with students from
➢ Virtual Mentor for College Total of ~30 hours over different backgrounds than my own and practice my
Mentors for Kids the year teaching skills.

- Interacted over Zoom with two “little buddies,” one in

third grade and one in sixth grade. This allowed me to
practice my communication skills, and practice keeping
students engaged.

❖ Other Professional Experiences - I attended this workshop hosted by the CaPS office and
the Five Fountains organization. The workshop was a
➢ Resume and Cover Letter Total of 1 hour great first step in my process of creating my resume
Workshop because I learned the key components in a resume, as well
as helpful tips for writing and formatting a cover letter.

Total PD Hours: 133

 Professional Development Activities in Summer 2022

I plan on continuing with my job as an office assistant

❖ Office Assistant, Traycee Home 9 weeks over the summer. I will have many of the same
Care responsibilities; however, over the summer I will be
working in person, which will further enhance my
organizational and communication skills.

❖ Trip to Europe 24 days This summer, I will be taking a trip to Europe with
several other people my age. This trip will help me with
my communication and flexibility skills because I will
meet and travel with 20+ people who I’ve never met
before. One of the countries we will be visiting on the trip
is France, and I will have the opportunity to use and
improve my French skills.