ProSTAR provided 'skills necessary to move up career ladder'

Donald Barnes, supplier support engineer with Butler America in West Lafayette, Indiana, will graduate with his master’s degree focused on leadership in May 2017. He also supports Sikorsky’s commercial aftermarket helicopter parts and Aircraft on Ground (AOG) programs. We asked him to reflect on his time in the program, which was administered by the Center for Professional Studies in Technology and Research in the Purdue Polytechnic Institute.

My degree path

Donald BarnesMy education path was truly a non-traditional one. During my senior year in high school, I knew I didn’t have the grades to go to college. Following in the footsteps of my father and both of my brothers, I knew I was going to join the Navy. I retired in 2006 after 20 years of service, yet still did not go to school right away. The catalyst for going to school came from three people: my wife who told me I could to anything I set my mind to, my father who told me that an education would get me where I wanted to be, and my high school English teacher who told me I had great potential and I just needed to apply myself. I saw the benefits of having a degree in co-workers who were promoted or put in leadership positions. My first choice was to attend Purdue, but I was not accepted for enrollment, so I enrolled at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. I completed my Bachelor of Science in Aviation Maintenance Management in three years, becoming the first person in my family to attend and graduate from college.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to work toward a master’s degree until a co-worker told me about ProSTAR. The more he talked, the more I knew I could do it. I chose ProSTAR because the program is geared toward working adults, and the leadership aspect of it was something that I was already familiar with. The combination of online classes and on-campus sessions three weekends a semester gave me the flexibility I needed to continue working full-time while pursuing my master’s. The degree’s focus on technology, leadership and innovation fits perfectly with my goals to be a leader in my career field. ProSTAR gives me the ability to work at my own pace while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. When I graduate, ProSTAR will have given me the skills necessary to move up the career ladder.

To further enhance my Purdue experience, I became a senator on the Purdue Graduate Student Government (PGSG). I represent ProSTAR and I am a voice for the other graduate students in the program. I am also a member of the Grant Review and Allocation Committee, which has given me a great insight into how grants are applied for and approved by the committee. Being a senator has given me the opportunity to meet other graduate students at Purdue and to see the PGSG really wants all grad students to succeed.

My favorite aspects of the program

The ProSTAR program has really challenged me, not only as a student, but also as a leader, father and husband. The program has definitely taken me out of my comfort zone and forced me to re-examine some of my thoughts on leadership. ProSTAR had given me the opportunity to see how others view leadership and to see what works and what does not. Everyone in my cohort has a different background and level of leadership, but we are all striving toward the same goal. I have made lifelong friends in this program, and the camaraderie that has grown is amazing. The professors are at the top of their fields, and they want their students to succeed. This is shown in their willingness to help guide me and my fellow students.

When I graduate, I will have accomplished something I did not know I could do, but others who believed in my ability knew that I could.