For more than two decades, Jametta C. has built her career around helping students understand history, identity and the world around them.
At Lawrence High School in New Jersey, she teaches Honors American Civilization I, AP African American Studies and Dual Enrollment You & the Law. She also co-advises the Black Student Union, directs the award-winning Lawrence High School Gospel Choir and coordinates the school’s annual district-wide Black History Celebration, the largest of its kind in New Jersey. In 2022, she was named Lawrence High School’s Teacher of the Year.
After 22 years in education, Jametta began thinking about how she could take the work she cared about beyond her own classroom. Fifteen years after earning her master’s degree, she decided it was time to pursue a doctorate.
As she explained, “I wanted to equip myself to transition into higher education, where I could influence teacher preparation in more profound and lasting ways.”
That decision eventually led her to Rowan University’s online Ed.D. in Educational Leadership, through which she chose the Higher Education track to support her goal of moving into teacher preparation and expanding her impact beyond the K-12 classroom.
From the Classroom to a Bigger Vision
Jametta’s interest in higher education grew from years of mentoring student teachers.
While aspiring educators arrived in classrooms with strong knowledge of pedagogy, she still saw opportunities for some to better understand the students and communities they would serve, especially students of color.
During their time with Jametta, she encouraged them to build authentic relationships with students, embrace culturally responsive practices and recognize that teaching extends beyond delivering content.
“Those experiences,” she said, “affirmed my calling to prepare the next generation of educators on a broader scale.”
An Ed.D. offered a way to connect her classroom experience with research, leadership and a growing interest in teacher preparation.
It was a next step rooted in work that already mattered deeply to her. But pursuing a doctorate would have to fit around her full-time career.
That made online learning a necessity. Rowan Online gave Jametta the flexibility to pursue her Ed.D. while continuing to work as an educator. What caught her attention most, though, was the program’s conceptual framework, which aligned with her desired area of focus and career goals.
“There were numerous programs that offered online learning,” she explained, “but few that intentionally centered diversity and social justice as foundational pillars.”
When Flexibility Became Essential
At first, the online format helped Jametta balance a demanding teaching career with doctoral coursework.
Then her circumstances changed in a way she could never have planned for.
Her father became seriously ill.
Jametta took a four-month leave from work and traveled to Alabama to become his full-time caregiver. More than 1,000 miles from her New Jersey classroom, she was able to continue working toward her degree.
“Because of Rowan Online, I never had to choose between my education and being there for my father,” she said. “It allowed me to honor both commitments—and that is something I will always carry with me.”
Online Did Not Mean Alone
As Jametta approached the final stages of her doctorate, the people around her became an increasingly important part of her journey.
As she recalled, “All of my professors were supportive, and I count it a blessing to have learned from each of them.”
One professor, Dr. Ane Turner Johnson, stood out. She offered something unique. Her support was always exactly what Jametta needed in the moment: “Whether it was a swift kick, words of encouragement or a gentle nudge to push me toward greater, she always knew how much pressure to apply and when. Her ultimate goal was always my success.”
Near the end of her doctoral journey, while her father was also nearing the end of his life, Jametta remembers having a heart-to-heart conversation with Dr. Johnson because she wasn’t sure she had the strength to continue.
Instead of pushing her forward before she was ready, Dr. Johnson reminded Jametta that she was not facing the rest of the journey by herself.
“She gave me the time and space I needed,” Jametta said, “and reassured me that she was in my corner and would see me through to the finish line.”
Throughout the dissertation process, that support continued.
Dr. Johnson hosted frequent dissertation sessions where students could ask questions, receive feedback and build confidence as they prepared for their defenses. When Jametta needed more individualized guidance, a one-on-one virtual meeting was only an email away.
“I never felt like I was navigating the process alone,” Jametta said.
Her cohort became part of that support system, too. Although the students completed the program online, they encouraged one another throughout the experience and eventually had the chance to meet in person at their hooding ceremony.
After her father passed away, Jametta gave herself time to regroup.
Then she returned to her dissertation.
As she described, “Dr. Johnson went above and beyond to make sure I was okay while also helping me keep my eyes on the prize and reminding me to hold on. That kind of care, accessibility and commitment is something I will never forget.”
With support from her faculty, she completed her final two chapters and advanced toward the defense she had worked years to reach.
For Jametta, showing up for each other was not limited by distance.
Turning Doctoral Research Into Classroom Practice
Even before graduation, Jametta began seeing connections between her doctoral research and the students she was already teaching.
During interviews for her dissertation, one participant introduced her to Journey Boxes, an instructional method that uses primary sources to help students explore place, time and culture from multiple perspectives.
Jametta immediately began thinking about her own classroom.
She adapted the idea to help her students examine challenging historical topics through voices and perspectives that can be absent from traditional accounts of history.
A method she encountered through doctoral research had traveled directly into her teaching.
“My doctoral work was not separate from my work as a classroom teacher,” she said.
For Jametta, that experience reinforced the idea that research should inform practice. Her doctoral work was not something that existed only in papers, discussions or a dissertation; it was already changing the way she taught: “Rowan’s Ed.D. program helped me deepen that work and opened my eyes to see how I could take it beyond my own classroom.”
The experience also clarified what she wanted to do next.
She had spent years rolling up her sleeves and doing the work in her own classroom. Now, she could see how that work might reach future educators and, through them, even more students.
But one major step remained.
She still had to defend her dissertation.
The Moment She Became Dr. Clarke
On the morning of her dissertation defense, Jametta was nervous.
As she sat at her desk preparing for the virtual meeting, she placed a photograph of her parents where she could see it.
Then she looked at the screen.
Friends and family from near and far had joined to watch a moment she had spent years working toward.
The same online environment that had allowed Jametta to continue her education wherever life required her to be now made it possible for many of the people she loved to watch her reach the finish line.
Before the defense began, Jametta looked to the photograph of her parents for comfort and strength.
“In that moment,” she said, “I felt surrounded.”
That collective support empowered her and helped settle her nerves.
Then came the wait.
Her committee deliberated.
And when they returned, Jametta heard the words she had spent years working toward:
Congratulations, Dr. Clarke.
The emotion came all at once.
“The joy was overwhelming. I cried tears of joy, relief, gratitude and the realization that I had actually made it.”
Dr. Clarke thought about the people watching on the screen and those who were no longer there, especially her parents. She had carried them with her throughout the journey, and in that moment, she also felt their presence.
“After everything the journey had required of me, I was Dr. Clarke.”
When it came time to celebrate her graduation, her parents remained part of the milestone. As she marked the achievement they had helped inspire from the beginning, Dr. Clarke carried photographs of them with her.
Reflecting on Her Doctoral Journey
Dr. Clarke’s journey was certainly not easy.
There were late nights, long papers and extensive reading, along with moments when she questioned whether she had anything left to give.
“But I would do it again,” she said.
Her advice to prospective students is just as straightforward: “Come prepared to work, but also know that you will have people in your corner.”
For Dr. Clarke, earning her doctorate meant continuing to grow without stepping away from the life and work that already mattered deeply to her. She could bring new ideas back to her students, prepare for new possibilities in her career and—when life changed in ways she could never have anticipated—remain present for her family.
With Rowan Online, Dr. Clarke was able to thrive on her own terms.
“I truly don’t believe I could have finished my studies had it not been for the structure and flexibility of Rowan Online,” she reflected. “More importantly, it gave me something I can never get back—time with my father during the final months of his life. For that, I will forever be grateful.”
Explore Rowan Online’s Ed.D. in Educational Leadership
Rowan University’s online Ed.D. in Educational Leadership offers a Higher Education track for working professionals who want to grow as scholar-practitioners and expand their impact across colleges, universities and other educational settings.
Through flexible online coursework, applied research and an emphasis on equity-driven leadership, students can continue advancing their careers while developing the knowledge and research skills to pursue what comes next.
If you’re ready to grow your impact without putting the rest of your life on hold, explore what Rowan Online can make possible.
About Rowan Online
Rowan Online empowers learners throughout the region with high-quality, accessible and affordable online education backed by the innovation and forward-thinking of Rowan University. Rowan’s flexible online programs seamlessly connect students to award-winning faculty and industry leaders, comprehensive student support services and academic resources—no matter where they are. In collaboration with Rowan’s nationally ranked colleges and schools, Rowan Online delivers bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in high-demand, future-focused fields. Guided by employer insight and industry-driven curriculum, Rowan Online prepares students to excel in a rapidly evolving workforce and lead in their professions and communities.