Her Story
About Summer
I’ve been working in education with a primary focus on technology since 2020. I'm currently finishing up my third year at Godley ISD, where I serve as the district Chromebook Manager. In this role, I manage all of the devices in our district, handle everything involved with Google administration, and oversee project and asset management. For the past three years, I've also been teaching a CTE program called ILEAD. It’s a practicum course for students going into the IT field where I teach them all the basics of technology, so they can graduate with real experience and go straight into the workforce. My students in ILEAD levels 2, 3, and 4 actually learn how to do district Chromebook repairs. Because all of our repairs are done in-house here at Godley ISD, it ends up saving us almost $80,000 to $100,000 a year by not outsourcing it! The kids absolutely enjoy it, it gives them hands-on experience, and they feel like they have a real purpose in this district. They also study to get their CompTIA certification so they can take that straight into the industry once they graduate. Before Godley ISD, I worked for Crowley ISD starting in 2020. I began as a registrar at an elementary campus and discovered I had a real passion for education and working with kids. I have always been very interested in technology since I was a little girl, so I started getting a drive to become part of the technology department. I applied a few times and finally got the job after a few tries, becoming a computer technician in the field. I started as a Chromebook specialist and then transitioned to being out in the field. I really enjoyed teaching professional staff how to expand their knowledge when it comes to technology and showing them how to use tools that help further them as educators, district administrators, or even the superintendent. Before Crowley, I was basically jumping from job to job, doing whatever worked with my daughter's schedule. I worked as a travel office manager for pediatric dentistry, front office for pediatric dentistry, a property manager for an apartment complex, and an insurance agent for Allstate.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Summer
01What do you attribute your success to?
Honestly, the honest truth is my daughter. I had her the year after I graduated high school, so I had to grow up very quick and learn how to be a mom very quick. Everything that I did, I always did based around, “Is this what's best for Bella?” I truly think I wouldn't be where I'm at today if it wasn't for her. She was always the fire behind everything I did, basically telling me to keep going. She's always been my encouragement, and as she got older, say I had a rough night with school, she was always there to encourage me a little bit more. She has been my biggest cheerleader, and I love her so much. Outside of her, my husband Drew. We got married last October and we've been together four years as of this April. He is also one of my biggest cheerleaders. He has really supported me and pushed me, even when I felt like I couldn't keep going. He's pushed me to go after my dreams, to speak up more, be more bold, and be more open. I feel like because of him, I've become a person that I am really proud of, and that I'm happy with. I wouldn't be where I'm at if it wasn't for him encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone and become who I am. And then, last but not least, my parents. My parents have always protected me and encouraged me. They are also my cheerleaders, cheering from the sideline. I'll never forget when I graduated, my mom was crying, and my parents aren't very emotional, so it was just a really big deal. I was so happy that I succeeded, and Bella was there watching me, which was a really nice experience, and Drew was there watching me. So all the people that I love got to watch me graduate with a degree that was really hard to get over those years. They're all the people that I really say thank you to, because I wouldn't be where I'm at without them.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Back when I was about 21 and working for iKids Pediatric Dentistry, I worked for a group of doctors, the Hamilton brothers. I was young, and there was a lot in life I was trying to figure out. I remember talking to Dr. Randy Hamilton, and I was telling him, "Oh my gosh, I just feel like I'm running behind in life, and I feel like I'm not where everybody else is. I feel like I'm not doing good enough, and I should have this, and I should be able to do that for Bella." At the time, I was really sad that I didn't own a house yet. I was like, "Why don't we own a house at 21? Shouldn't we own a house?" Which is just crazy to think about now! He stopped me, looked at me, and said, "Need I remind you that you are not Supermom?" He told me, "You're not a supermom, you don't have to sit here and do all these millions of things. It's okay to take your time, and you don't have to be where other people are at. Just as long as you're happy, you're healthy, you have a safe home, and your child is happy, you're in a good place. You don't have to do everything by yourself." Then he looked at me and said, "Summer, I didn't even own my first house until I was older. You need to take a deep breath, and you're going to be okay." It sounds simple, but I've always remembered that conversation. Don't get me wrong, there are still plenty of times I try to act like Supermom and think I can do 20,000 things at once. But I always come back to that. My husband now kind of says the same thing to me. He'll say, "Hey, take a breath, you're okay. We can do this together, you don't have to do this alone." I used to be really bad about thinking I had to do absolutely everything, because for a large portion of my life, it felt like things wouldn't get done unless I did them myself. Which, at the time, was partially true. But now, I've finally learned not to think that way anymore.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Being a woman in IT is not easy. I have been very fortunate to work with really good people at both of my positions. But the fight to get into the IT field as a woman with no prior professional experience is extremely difficult. You constantly have to prove that you're worth it. I feel like we're not always looked at as the "safe choice," basically, and that's just the unfortunate truth of it. For me, I really had to fight for years to even get the opportunity to interview for an IT position. Like I said, I didn't even get it on the first try. It wasn't until a couple of tries later that I finally broke through, and I still sometimes can't believe I'm where I'm at now. But the only reason I made it here is because I was finally given that one opportunity. So, for all the other women out there trying to get into this field, I would say: definitely don't give up. It is hard, and there will be times you feel very unheard and defeated. But eventually, you will get your one shot. And that one shot is going to open up doors like crazy for you.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
If we're talking IT, it would definitely be the new inventions, the growth, the new stuff coming out, and the cost of it all. That has a really big effect on us right now, and that's not just education, that is the world. The cost of anything technology-wise is skyrocketing, and careers are being let go due to AI and automation. Technology is really taking over a large amount of our lives, some good and some bad. And then in education, in the state of Texas right now, it's just a really tricky area. There are things that people agree with, and there are things that people don't agree with. The people who are in the classroom every day sit there and see what these kids actually need and what they don't need. But then you have people out here who are never in a classroom making decisions that affect those who are in there every single day. When it comes down to it, the state of Texas education is being overrun by politics. It's becoming a political thing and it's not about the kids anymore. That's where it just gets disheartening, because it should always be about the kids. In my district, I'm thankful enough and proud to say that the superintendent I work for truly values family. That is his biggest thing. But it's not the same for every other district. There are some districts that have been taken over by the state, and those kids are just not getting what they need anymore. It's really sad because you don't know what the future has in store for education. Will it cease to exist eventually? Will kids not have education at all anymore, or will they just be at home? Are we going to get to a point where everything is online and teachers don't even have a purpose? Or are we going to go back to step one, switch back to pen and paper, and go back to classic teaching? It's just a really scary field right now because there's so much unknown. At the end of the day, the people who are in education for the right reasons only care about the kids. We just want them to be taken care of. We want them to succeed, to get the information and the tools they need, and to not just be treated as a number or part of a political game.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Family. I would say definitely family is the number one thing that comes to my brain. The other thing that is a big value to me is how you treat other people. If you don't treat others kindly, then that says a lot about who you are as a person, genuinely. People can make you upset, and you can still choose not to be horrible or ugly to them. That's something I’ve raised my daughter on, how you hold yourself and how you respond to people says a lot about who you are. Even when somebody is unkind to you, says something really ugly, or is just straight-up mean, how you handle that situation shows your true character. How are you going to react to a situation? That is a really big value to me. I've always lived my life believing that no matter if you're at the very bottom or the very top, we're all human beings. We're all equal. I shouldn't be treating a person in power any differently than the person I just talked to on the side of the road. I don't care what authority or power you have, or if you think you're better than everybody else. To me, you're just as equal as any other person I'm looking at because we're all human beings on this earth. Some of us just have different responsibilities. That's always been how I look at life. No matter what, I try to always come from a kind, understanding, yet professional perspective.
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