skip to main content
Lisa Nielsen
Lisa Nielsen
00:33

Lisa Nielsen

New York Department of Education

New York, NY US

"People told me I would finish college and everything would be so clear. I did all the things I was supposed to do, but what they promised wasn't there. It occurred to me that I should work in education so more people wouldn't graduate college without knowing what they care about."

Career Roadmap

Lisa's work combines: Education, Technology, and Teaching / Mentoring

See more careers and stories that connect to your interests.

Take Roadmap Quiz

Day In The Life

Director of Digital Literacy and Citizenship

I'm a public school educator and administrator and share my ideas on The Innovative Educator blog.

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Speech Communication and Rhetoric

    University of Nevada-Las Vegas

  • Graduate Degree

    Education, General

    Adelphi University

  • Graduate Degree

    Educational Leadership and Administration, General

    Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    Always felt bored in school and never really knew what she wanted to do with her life.

  • 2.

    Thought that if she didn't stir the pot and stayed at the top of her class, there'd be a huge payoff on graduation day.

  • 3.

    Got through college and realized she'd never developed any passions or interests, still had no idea of what she wanted to do.

  • 4.

    She took a job in public relations; believed that you took a job to earn a living and the "good" part of your life happened on the weekends.

  • 5.

    After five years, she started to rethink her path; realized if she went into education, she could prevent students from making her mistakes.

  • 6.

    Believes one huge mistake that educators make is in telling kids they're too young to know what their passions are.

  • 7.

    Says educators can prepare students for fulfilling careers by fostering passions and talents early on, rather than just focusing on coursework.

  • 8.

    Her passion for her career has stayed consistent-most people think she's a new teacher because she's so optimistic about the future of education.