My journey into the Master of Education (Learning and Leadership) began with a desire to understand leadership and develop my capabilities in mentoring others, which I had started to do in my work. Instead, I went through a transformation that extended far beyond this, in how I understand leading, learning, design, and change. My background in psychology had grounded me in cognitive and individualistic theories of learning, but through my studies I encountered socio-material perspectives that challenged these assumptions. Learning to analyse practices through practice-based frameworks revealed how learning and leadership are shaped by and adaptable within the greater context it occurs in. This shift has profoundly changed how I approach problems in my work, moving me beyond surface-level fixes to understanding the systemic forces that enable or prevent change.
Alongside this theoretical shift, my studies have transformed my approach from reactive problem-solving to intentional, evidence-based design. I learned to apply contemporary frameworks for learning design, evaluation, and innovation that gave strategic structure to my previous professional experience. Through designing learning solutions, leading change initiatives, and developing evaluation plans, I integrated knowledge I had been building across 12 years in higher education into a coherent, research-informed practice. Most significantly, I cultivated my leadership capabilities by investigating the everyday practices of mentoring, influencing change, and building capability in others. I now approach my work with greater confidence, critical awareness, and intentionality in everything I design.