How a Master of Education Helped Loyola Alum Redesign Her Career
Alumni Spotlight: Julia Goffredi, M.Ed. ‘20
Julia Goffredi never expected a graduate program to reshape her career path so dramatically. In 2020, she earned her Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Educational Technology (now Learning Design & Technology) from Loyola University Maryland School of Education. Today, Julia is the Emerging Learning Technology Lead at the University of Baltimore’s Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Technology (CELTT).
Before pursuing her graduate degree, Julia was teaching World Languages and feeling uncertain about her next step.
“I knew I didn’t want to continue studying in that exact direction, but I also wasn’t sure what my next step should be,” she said. When she discovered Loyola’s fully online, accelerated program, along with its tuition discount for Catholic school teachers, it felt like the right fit.
Julia was already drawn to the creative side of integrating technology into the classroom, from using Francophone music during work time to building interactive virtual tours and phonetics exercises.
“I had always enjoyed experimenting with digital tools. Loyola’s program gave me a chance to build on that interest in a way that opened up new possibilities for my career,” Julia said.
While earning her degree, Julia continued teaching full-time. Being both a teacher and a student gave her a deeper understanding of the learning process and helped her reflect more intentionally on both roles.
“I began to see the classroom differently. I wasn’t just leading instruction, I was also experiencing it as a learner,” Julia said. “That experience deepened my empathy for my students and helped me appreciate the intentionality behind my professors’ choices, too. It wasn’t always easy, but it made me more reflective in both roles.”
Despite the program’s virtual format, Julia also found connection and camaraderie with her cohort. Through Zoom and a lively group chat, they supported one another, shared resources, and celebrated milestones together. “I still collaborate with several members of that cohort, even though I’ve since transitioned out of the K-12 classroom,” she said.
In her current role at the University of Baltimore, Julia coordinates campus-wide initiatives like New Faculty Orientation, Teaching & Learning Days, and Thank a Teacher celebrations. She has also helped launch several major initiatives, including the Teaching Scholars in Residence program, the Teaching Excellence Framework, and the university’s annual AI Summit.
“It’s hard to overstate the impact this degree has had on my professional path,” she said. “What started as a feeling of being stuck has turned into a career that feels dynamic and full of possibility.”
Julia credits Loyola’s program and values for blending ethical inquiry with practical skills, with emphasis on service, justice, and equity in education.
“It was a space where we were asked to reflect deeply on our work and the role technology plays in shaping access and opportunity,” she said. “That kind of ethical grounding, paired with a forward-thinking approach to educational tools, made the experience distinctive and lasting.”
One course during the program, Social Justice and Educational Technology, stood out as especially formative to Julia.
“We explored what it means to evaluate digital tools through a technoethical lens with a framework I still use today,” Julia said. “That class grounded me in values I carry into every conversation about emerging learning tech.”
The work Julia is doing now is a direct extension of her Loyola education. This past semester, she led a Professional Learning Community focused on Nearpod, a tool widely used in K-12 but still emerging in higher ed. She’s also deeply involved in Open Educational Resources (OER) initiatives, working to expand access for the University of Baltimore’s diverse and often non-traditional student body.
“In both of these roles, I see my responsibility as helping faculty feel more prepared and empowered to support the unique needs of our student body, something my Loyola coursework encouraged me to think about critically and often,” she said
For prospective graduate students considering the School of Education at Loyola, Julia offers this insight:
“Graduate school isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to feel impossible. The workload can be intense, especially if you're juggling full-time teaching or other responsibilities, but I always felt supported by my professors and by the peers in my cohort. That sense of community made a big difference,” she said.
“More than anything, I’d encourage someone not to give up on education. Education doesn’t only happen in classrooms, and the skills you build here can carry you into all kinds of careers.”
Are you ready to make a shift in your educational career? Explore Loyola University Maryland’s graduate programs in education.