Heidi Ellison has a passion for education. As a busy mom who has now earned her third degree in the field of Child Development, Ellison is Northland Pioneer College’s Outstanding Graduate for the Associate of General Studies degree.
As she started her journey in education, Ellison was inspired when she saw two of her six children go through school while dealing with ADHD. “I saw how they struggled and I realized that this was something that I wanted to do, not just for my own kids, but all kids who have their own unique circumstances. I want to help them get a good start in life,” she explained.
As Ellison has been earning her degrees, she’s been able to rely on a mix of a strong work ethic, fun personality and love of kids to propel her in the Child Development field. While being able to fully explore the field of Child Development at NPC, Ellison is excited that most of the work to get a bachelor’s is almost done. Currently, she is looking at local universities and BYU-Idaho to move forward with her education. “In the future, I can’t wait to get a bachelor’s in this field and see what else there is to learn…I can’t wait to eventually work for the local schools, too,” she said.
When discussing the challenges of being a stay-at-home mom and going to school fulltime, Ellison said that the hardest part of getting a degree was having to leave home. “Leaving my family to go to classes was the hardest, because I felt like they needed me there,” she said. “But it was my husband and kids that really stepped up and supported me through all of this…they were my cheerleading squad. They were the ones that inspired me to keep going the entire time.”
Ellison also credits the NPC faculty and staff that helped her to continue in the field of child development. “Betsy Peck, Claude Endfield and Sandra Johnson, they are amazing. It was their knowledge and passion for what they do that definitely inspired me and helped keep me determined to pursue this field,” she noted.
When asked about what advice she would give to others in her situation, Ellison said, “One of the most important steps is to really decide what you want to do. Talk to others about it, talk with an adviser and really make sure that what you want is right for you. Then once you decide, don’t give up, keep going, and just plug away. You won’t regret it.”
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Editor’s note: NPC staff writers Michael Nilsson and Everett Robinson contributed to this article.
