Faithful In Her Calling: College of Education Alum Lenora Brown

For those pursuing an education, it is important to be equipped with the right knowledge, information, and skills to be able to excel, thrive, and succeed. Education is a formative process for not only students but their teachers and advisors as well. As someone who has been involved in education for many years, Lenora Brown's time pursuing an education helped to prepare her to equip others to do the same.

In 1992, Lenora Brown began her journey in higher education at DBU, but it was not until after her first four years that she really began to understand her life's purpose and mantra. After graduating in 1996 with a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Sciences, Lenora began her journey to earn her Master of Education in School Counseling. During her counseling courses, Dr. Bonnie Bond helped Lenora discover her passion for working with at-risk students and families. "I received my mantra, and my life's calling was confirmed," she says.

During this time, she had to create a counseling portfolio for one of her courses. This portfolio had to include a theme evident throughout its entirety and reflect all four components of a comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling program. Upon completion of this portfolio, Lenora presented it to a panel of counseling directors and supervisors from various school districts and was offered several counseling positions soon after. "I still have my counseling portfolio," says Lenora, "and my theme resonates with me even after 16 years of being a middle and high school counselor."

After graduating with her Master of Education in 2002, Lenora worked in the Dallas Independent School District as a middle and high school counselor. She currently works as the Chancellor of the Grand Prairie Early College High School and currently works to ensure that the school is operating efficiently by overseeing teachers and students each day. Along with this, she helps students and teachers resolve different types of conflict, helping students maximize their potential, and listening to their concerns daily. In a position of leadership, Lenora works to build purposeful relationships, intentionally caring for and serving her teachers and students well and helping equip them with what they need to succeed.

Servant Leadership

Lenora learned many things in her time at DBU, but servant leadership has been a driving force behind her mission and success in the field of education. "I am a servant leader and I have excelled only because of DBU's vision, goal, and mission." This principle not only drives how Lenora leads those in her school, both students and teachers, but has also been solidified in a hallway at her school named Patriot Way – a hallway filled with DBU flags, pennants, and banners to serve as a reminder of why Lenora does what she does.

As Lenora found her passion while pursuing an education, she encourages current students to do the same. "Find your passion and get experience in what you love," she explains. "Qualifications will get you to the interview, but experience and passion will get you further."

As Lenora learned at DBU, servant leadership requires much intake but also much outtake. As she continues to lead her school, the guiding principle of servant leadership remains the anchor of her mission to lead and counsel the next generation to succeed and excel.