Doctoral student uses education to transform lives

When Jesse Mossholder was a sophomore in college at Viterbo University in LaCrosse, Wis., he slept on the couches of friends or in the back of his father's old Chevy van. This was the first time he experienced serious financial hardship, yet he went on to earn his bachelor's and master's degrees.

"I realized that education was my way out. This experience taught me to be vulnerable and open with people. It was the most challenging chapter of my life, but it made me who I am and taught me resilience," he says.

Jesse's resilience and educational goals are what inevitably brought him to MSUM's gates for an Ed.D. in educational leadership. "Being in higher education, it was my dream to pursue a doctorate at some point," he says. "I found MSUM's program and saw that it was nationally ranked for the services they provided." After speaking with Dr. Ximena Suarez-Sousa in the Department of Leadership and Learning, Jesse learned about MSUM's values of grit, humility, and heart.

"That stood out to me because I could relate to the idea that, through challenges and hardships, we must have grit and humility in our hearts. Philosophically it aligned with who I am, and who I aspire to be, especially in an educational lens," Jesse says. Jesse is now an advocate for at-risk students. He began his career by doing work-study at a local elementary school in Wisconsin, where he realized just how much he enjoyed working with children. "I went into education because I want to help students see beyond their current circumstances," he says.

Ed.D. in Educational leadership

After teaching K-12, he became an associate lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Jesse was recently awarded the Anonymous Academic and Need-Based Scholarship from MSUM, to utilize while he pursues his Ed.D. Jesse says that this award means so much to him as a first-generation college student - to be recognized after everything he has overcome and accomplished makes him feel humbled. "What I have come to realize is that education is the pathway toward doing something that you genuinely enjoy and are passionate about, and that's all you can really ask for in life," he says.

Jesse says the scholarship will help him complete his degree and set him on a path to a tenure-track position in a teacher preparation department, where he can continue to inspire preservice teachers to be "game changers" in the field of education.

Back in his classroom, Jesse is passionate about helping students develop who they are and teaching them new skills. His hard work and dedication at UW-Stevens Point was recognized this past year with the "UW-Stevens Point Excellence in Teaching Award, 2023-2024".

Jesse acknowledges mental health struggles that people of all ages face. While teaching his students how to navigate current K-12 challenges, he also models ways that they can manage their own stress, and more than anything, Jesse is a confidant to students.

"Challenges are unavoidable and present themselves at unfortunate times. We are noticing that people resort to existential crisis, so we must navigate that dynamic collectively and identify ways to instruct people, and ourselves, to be resilient when challenges pop up," he says.

Jesse's biggest lesson and reminder while getting his Ed. D, raising two kids, and working in higher education, is, "When things get difficult, we tend to look at the factors that drive failure and that can get exhausting. During those times we must remember our end goal and that is how we reach that light at the end of the tunnel."

When asked about why he loves being in education, Jesse says that "Getting to observe and help people experience joy and interact with each other is amazing."

Education has given Jesse the opportunity to end the cycle of homelessness for himself. As old habits try to break their way in, he looks to the ambitious people he has surrounded himself with and in normal Dragon style, Jesse is forging a way to use education to help himself and others.