Northwest Elementary School principal Heather Walston has added another degree to her resumé, an achievement that to her represents a learning milestone more than a career advancement.

“I already have my dream job. I just wanted to be as educated as I could be for my profession,” said Walston – or, more correctly, Dr. Walston

The Deep Run native, in her fourth year as principal at Northwest, completed requirements for her doctorate in education from East Carolina University shortly before winter break last month.

Her 174-page dissertation analyzed the effectiveness of the ECU program that requires all candidates for the master of school administration degree to complete six service leadership projects.

Dr. Walston herself earned her MSA in 2014 from ECU, where she was a Principal Fellow. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from ECU. A product of Lenoir County’s public schools, she graduated from South Lenoir High in 1997 as valedictorian.

She taught history at South Lenoir for eight years before becoming assistant principal at E.B. Frink Middle School. She began working on her doctorate during the two years she was at Frink.

After years of work toward a doctoral degree – and after taking on the duties of principal and adding a third child to her family – successfully completing and defending her dissertation occasioned more than a little relief – even if it created the odd sensation of being called Dr. Walston by her Northwest staff.

“They have started doing it,” Dr. Walston said. “It makes me feel so weird.”