Alyssa Nicholson

Year Graduated: 2021
Program/Degree: MEd in Educational Leadership: Imaginative K-12 Leadership (Surrey)

Join a program that transforms leadership into an authentic, relationship-centered, and imaginative practice. As a graduate of the 2019–2021 MEd Imaginative Leadership cohort, I can confidently say this program is more than just professional development—it’s a mindset shift.

Through practical applications like the Cognitive Tools, we learned to spark joy, engage emotions, and reimagine education. For instance, we used extremes and limits and humor to illustrate different leadership theories by designing a mock cupcake factory and analyzed policies through creative lenses like the “history of the future”. These kinds of hands-on experiences made our learning meaningful and applicable to the real-world challenges we face in educational contexts and, really, all relational contexts.

This program equips leaders to navigate complex relationships, inspire collaboration, and uncover meaningful stories in everything from data and policy to the people and learners at the heart of schools. One memorable experience was using open-ended prompts to spark conversations while envisioning a school plan and goals with my elementary school staff. These discussions elevated staff voices, creating a space for innovative ideas and redefining data to include shared anecdotes and imagined pathways for our school community.

Imagination isn't just creativity—it's a powerful force for empathy, connection, and transformation. It’s what helps me find compassion for a difficult parent after receiving a rage-filled email or see potential in learners boxed in by labels. Imaginative leadership continues to teach me to lean into vulnerability, embrace the “Heartwork” of education, and centre relationships in everything I do.