Candace Weather in her own words

This month, we caught up with MEd Educational Leadership and Policy Studies student Candace Weather, a Program Officer for Community Learning Center Programs at the Henrico Education Foundation.

Can you tell us more about your experience in leading community learning programs?

My work as the Program Officer for Community Learning Center Programs at Henrico Education Foundation is different from any role I have held previously. I currently oversee all of the grant funded out of school time programs in Henrico County — 11 in total. I think what is really cool about working for an education foundation is that they exist to support the school system. I am able to really fuse my experiences as an educator and former programs director and put my skill set into action to ensure quality educational programming that is fun and engaging. There are many moving parts to my role like grant and data management, budget management, academic content coordination, coordinating with vendors, collaborating with school district leadership, supporting school principals in their individual programs, and supporting our staff to ensure they have everything they need to run successful programs.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I really enjoy working with a variety of different people. I meet someone new each day, and I consider that a new opportunity to be a light, share the amazing work our students are doing in our programs, and find ways to do better. I absolutely love that I am able to be a part of what I like to call “gap filling.” As a child of a career educator and a former high school English teacher myself, I know that it is impossible to meet every need during the school day. I was lucky enough to have a parent that filled my academic and social gaps both with her own at home lessons, but also by keeping me involved in enrichment activities that boosted my creativity and gave me space to explore. Out of school time programs have an opportunity to support school day instruction by filling those gaps by providing academic support and exposure to creative enrichment programs so that students begin to show up to school more engaged and ready to learn.

Where do you see the future of 21st century community learning center (CCLC) programs?

With any grant funded opportunity, you have to keep in mind that it may not exist forever. While the program has been around for decades, each site has a limit on how long it can be funded. I would love for our program to be around forever which is why sustainability plans are so important. I think the future of 21st CCLC programs is finding new ways to support students and school communities after funding ends. This can look like working with community partners to provide programming and utilizing subsidy, or reduced rates that allow communities to still access great programming in an affordable and sustainable way.

How do you balance working full time with your SPCS studies?

My job has been super flexible with me to allow me to block off my time for my classes. I typically set aside Friday nights and Sunday afternoons and evenings to complete all of my school work. I have an amazing community of friends as well who never get annoyed if I bring my laptop to come hangout. Sometimes I will do discussion board posts on blackboard on my phone while I am waiting in line at the store or something. There are some nights where it is extremely difficult, finals week was the hardest because I had presentations at work and presentations for school, but I just had to sacrifice some sleep to get it all done.

What advice would you give to future Spiders who will be working full time and studying?

My best advice is to stick to a schedule as much as you can, use the Pomodoro timer to break up your work time, and remove distractions so you can really lock in on your school work. There will be times when sleep is sacrificed, but if you have a schedule, it won't be often. You have to remind yourself that you can do hard things. I always have a trusted person that I call when things get rough to help remind me of my why. Also, communicate with your professors. Do not be one of those students that just doesn’t turn things in while also not communicating. I have found that the SPCS professors are so understanding and they really understand that we are all working professionals trying to balance. There was a time I needed an extension because I had to go to a work conference, and my professors were so understanding. Never be too proud to ask for help.

What do you love most about SPCS?

One of the main reasons why I chose this grad school over my other options was because of the personal touch. This was the only grad program where I interviewed with the chair and was asked about my unique career goals. [Program chair] Dr. Kate Cassada made me feel so welcomed and valued, and that has been the same experience I have had with everyone at SPCS. I absolutely love how warm, inviting, and family oriented the graduate program is. All of the learners come from such diverse career paths with varying years of experience, and we all learn so much from each other. All of the professors are industry professionals which makes each class a valuable learning experience and networking opportunity. I truly love it here.