Marni Ann Whitehead has joined the graduating class of 2022 at Walden University by earning her Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) in May of 2022 with honors and a 4.0 GPA. Her Ed.D. was specialized in the areas of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment. She accomplished this through four years of academic coursework and completion of a dissertation paper. Fewer than 2 percent of the US Population have earned their doctoral degrees and less than 1.5 percent of the World’s population have this advanced degree.

Marni started her studies at Forks Elementary School, and Forks Middle School, and graduated with the class of 1998 at both Forks High School and Peninsula College, as part of the Running Start program. Her BA was earned at Seattle Pacific University, a PPC at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy of New York City, and her MS in Education through Walden University.

Throughout her studies, Marni researched the many different facets of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. The task was made more difficult with the school shut-downs due to COVID-19 concerns. She took the challenge and turned it in her favor by completing her capstone paper on the topic of teaching during the pandemic. Her dissertation “Teachers’ Perceptions of Transition to Emergency Remote and Hybrid Instruction” was recently published by ProQuest and is available online in academic libraries and institutional databases.

Marni dedicates her dissertation in memory of her mother, Corlie Ann Whitehead, who passed away just as she had finished coursework, and to her father, Victor Whitehead, who continues to support her journey. She currently teaches Mathematics at Forks Middle School. Marni is looking forward to the future and is excited about the many doors that may become open to her because of earning her Ed.D. degree.