With a vast career, full of success and rich experiences, Aginah Muhammad, Ph.D., never quite found the mentor she sought, so now she makes sure to be that for others in the workplace, sometimes without being asked. “I’ve often been the only woman in the room, usually the only black person as well. When I was starting out, in most jobs, I was also the youngest, and when I looked for a mentor, I was actually shunned. I reached out to someone and instead was told, ‘Well, we figured it out on our own. Now you have to.’”
With determination and drive, Dr. Muhammad has made it a practice to never let those she encounters in the workplace have this kind of experience.
“I make sure if anyone who is younger than me or who just seems lost, I kind of take them by the hand and say, ‘Hey, I’ll show you the ropes,’ because that’s what I wanted,” she says.
At the young age of 20, Muhammad graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. She then continued her education, earning an M.A. in Education, Leadership and Administration from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Originally planning to continue to law school, she decided she wanted to pursue a more balanced career after starting a family, which led her to The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
A native Chicagoan, Dr. Muhammad wanted to continue her education online but with a local university in case she needed to visit the classroom. After investigating The Chicago School’s Industrial and Organizational Psychology program, she decided to join its inaugural online cohort.
Request info“I knew the curriculum was a great way for me to be able to realize my dream of earning a Ph.D. while also being able to have the flexibility and balance I needed,” Dr. Muhammad says. “I was able to take my real-world experience and merge that with theories in the textbooks we were reading. With such a diverse career, it was easy to look through my experience and see situations I could apply what I was learning.”
Working now as the Executive Director of the Council on Teacher Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago, she continues to prioritize her research on the role of women in academia and organizational institutions by focusing on empowering and mentoring black women. In early 2019, Dr. Muhammad published an inspiring book, Women Who Persevere: Navigating Motherhood with Power and Grace, which highlights the personal and professional stories of single mothers.
Echoing The Chicago School’s devotion to service and community, Dr. Muhammad continues to teach in the classroom and outside of it, offering advice and resources to anyone in need. “My commitment to empowering women has sparked my desire to write about issues that are important to working mothers and to always be available along the way,” Dr. Muhammad says.
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