Ranae Duncan

“One of the best parts about this program is that it has given me tools to implement immediately in my classroom It has made me a stronger adviser, and has provided me a network of other advisers, who are now friends, from throughout the country.”

Ranae Duncan  | M.A. Journalism and Mass Communication

Current job: Gretna East High School, Journalism Adviser

Kent State graduate student Ranae Duncan didn't want to get her M.A.  "I loved what I did as a journalism teacher and most master's programs for teachers that I found were for administration, counseling, reading or ESL. I knew I didn't want to do any of those."

But during a chance encounter at a Nebraska High School Press Association Board meeting, she overheard a board member talking about Kent State's master's degree program for journalism teachers. "Instantly I was searching the program up, and I knew I had to apply."

M.A. Media and Journalism     CCI Graduate Programs

Ranae absolutely loves being a journalism adviser at Gretna East High School, even though there have been challenges and a number of 60+ hour weeks in the program's first year. "Building our journalism program from the ground up with my students has been an amazing experience. My students and their love of journalism are 1,000% worth it." 

From her experience in Kent State's master's degree program, the one thing she thinks about every day is to be a coach, rather than a fixer. "And train student editors to be coaches too," she said.

Advice for future graduate students:

“Do it! It is so beneficial and applicable to what we do every single day. As specialty teachers, journalism advisers are often the only ones in their buildings, so getting to know more people who can relate to what we do every day, and the challenges we face, is such a comfort.”