Dawn Gillis | Honor Society®

About

I am a middle-aged working mom who decided to go back to school and earn my master's degree in Business Administration. I currently teach Office Administration/Management at a community college in North Carolina. My pursuit to achieve my MBA is for more job security so that I can continue to educate the adults in my community who want to achieve their own dreams.

I am currently working on my Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Applied Professional Studies degree. This is a well-rounded degree that is preparing me well for the courses I will take when I start the MBA program. I am in my last semester of my BIS degree, and I hope to start the MBA program soon after I finish.

On a personal note, I am married with children. Madelyn is 12 and Gavin is 16. We lost our oldest daughter Carissa to cancer about 5 years ago. Losing her made me realize that I should live life to the fullest, and my educational goals have become the first mountain I decided to climb. I am active in my church and community. I have led our women's group as President for the past four years. During that period we have donated our time to various partners in our community, such as making lap quilts for nursing homes, cooking for feeding the homeless, and working in a food and clothing closet.

I have enjoyed this journey of pursuing my educational goals thus far, although juggling work, home, and school life can be quite challenging at times. I must say that I am proud of myself for making it this far and doing so well in my classes. It shows my children that working hard is important and it matters!

Education

University of North Carolina at Pembroke

Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Applied Professional Studies

2020 – 2022

Honors and awards

Honor Society

I have maintained a high GPA since I returned to school in the summer of 2020. My current GPA is 3.923.

Goals and interests

Career goal: I currently teach at a community college where I have worked for almost 19 years. The Office Administration program requires an Associate's degree, which I earned many years ago. The program is quite small and is sadly becoming a "lost art" of sorts. I love teaching adults in my community and helping them reach their educational goals. I would like to continue teaching so I decided to work towards my MBA in the hopes of transitioning to that department as an instructor.
Graduate school interests: I want to complete my Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Applied Professional Studies and start working on my Master's in Business Administration.
Outside the classroom: Because I am a working mom in school full-time, I don't have much time for hobbies. I spend as much time as I can with my family, whether we are watching a movie, spending time at the animal rescue, or cooking dinner together.

Experience

Instructor

Fayetteville Technical Community College

May 2003 – Jan 2022

Volunteering

I volunteer with a local animal rescue. My children and I have often gone to the farm and helped feed, bathe, and love on the animals there. We also clean pins and help with anything else we can do. This includes spreading hay for the goats and horses, cleaning dog pins, and organizing shelter supplies.

Paw Project

Apr 2019 – Nov 2021
I volunteer my time as the President of Sisters of JOY, our women's group at my church. In that role, I have had several opportunities to serve my community by helping to make various items needed, such as lap quilts, for several local nursing homes. I have spent many weekends and evenings cooking and helping serve food to the homeless, as well as working in a homeless food and clothing pantry. I also maintain a collection of clothing, shoes, hygiene items, and other necessities for the closet.

Cumberland United Methodist Church, Sisters of Joy

Jan 2018 – Jan 2022

Languages

English (US) Advanced