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For Alyssa Choroszewski, pursuing a Master of Education in Educational Leadership was never part of the original plan — until a growing passion for imaginative education and leadership drew her in. Alyssa discovered a new confidence through the program, all while balancing graduate studies with becoming a new parent. Now, she’s committed to empowering students to see themselves as leaders and fostering learning environments where imagination thrives.

Growing up, Alyssa has always wanted to work in education. However, she struggled in school and was hesitant about academics. Later in her teaching career her curiosity led to her exploration of graduate studies. 

“I found myself talking to colleagues about their master’s programs while diving into the concept of ‘Imaginative Education’... Dr. Gillian Judson’s work was [then] recommended to me... I found myself wanting to deepen my perspective on education and the importance of harnessing the power of possibility to improve teacher and students’ experiences. This led me to the Educational Leadership program.

A Program Highlight 

A highlight for Alyssa was when her class engaged with the book “Free Play: Improvisation in Life and Art” by Stephen Nachmanovitch. “There is a quote I still think about: ‘I have never ceased to be astounded at the power of writing, music making, drawing, or dance to pull me out of sadness, disappointment, depression, bafflement. I am not talking about entertainment or distraction, but of playing, dancing, drawing, writing my way through and out.’ I grew up dancing and teaching dance. I had never been able to articulate what dance gave to me, but the last sentence referring to ‘dancing… my way through and out’ encompassed it perfectly. This book and series of presentations helped solidify my beliefs around students needing free time to engage in creativity without being stressed about outcomes. I prioritize that in my classroom.”

The Challenges

“I entered the program feeling nervous about the final project as I did not fully understand the research-based aspect. The sustained effort over a long period of time paired with re-writing, revising, and meeting the approval of many stressed me out. After finishing I was proud of the outcome, it really changed the way that I see myself and what I am capable of as a learner.”

“[During the program] I found out I was pregnant. I gave birth during the 5th course and had a newborn while we completed our research projects. I found it comforting to have something that I was working on for myself during that deeply transformational time of life. It helped me take my mind off the worries that come with a newborn and offered a special kind of distraction. I know that I am very privileged to have an incredibly strong village of family and friends around me who made it possible.” 

Impact From the Program

“I think that as teachers it's easy to get in an echo chamber within your school and district and ruminate on how things are... I really appreciated the outside speakers that were brought in who gave deeper insight to the topics we were studying. Some of them were alumni of the program, and some were people who had been in leadership positions for quite some time. Hearing their real-life experiences and takes on the topics we were learning about helped bridge the theoretical with the practical.”

“My learning has had the biggest impact on my classroom. The program changed my thinking about leadership and refocused it into how leadership affects everyone’s day to day operations and execution of ideas. It has impacted how I interact with students and how I empower them into leadership in their own ways. I see the students as equally influential towards one another, and I teach about leadership in the classroom more explicitly because of this. It allows students to understand how their actions affect one another and what they can do about it.”

A Note to Future Faculty of Education Students 

“The professors in the Faculty of Education want you to succeed. They are open, kind, and encouraging. Take advantage of that and reach out. I was incredibly nervous to share when I was pregnant because I wasn’t sure how that would affect my journey, but I was met with so much understanding.”