“My goal was to learn how to be the best early childhood director I could be.”
Sherri (Sukow) Lueck graduated from MLC in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, but God had a different plan for her—working with the littlest lambs in early childhood ministry.
From Florida to Virginia to Washington, Sherri has served in early childhood ministry settings. Now at Holy Trinity-Des Moines WA, she is the early childhood education director, pre-K4 teacher, grade school cheer coach, and lead mentor for the Pacific Northwest District.
Even with her wealth of experience, Sherri knew her ministry would benefit from formal training in early childhood education and in how to best share the love of Jesus with her students and their families.
So when she decided to pursue her master’s degree, Sherri looked for a program specifically designed for early childhood directors, where she could grow both spiritually and professionally, and she found it in MLC’s MS in Educational Administration.
“My goal was to learn how to be the best early childhood director I could be,” she said. “I wanted to learn what I should be doing as a director and gain a better understanding of how my practices measured up to what a strong, well-run early childhood program should look like. Ultimately, I wanted to help make ours the best Bible-based preschool we could be for the children and families in our community.”
Sherri’s previous experience at MLC—earning her bachelor’s degree and later her mentoring and coaching certificate—made it a natural choice for her graduate work.
“MLC stood out to me because it offered the combination I was looking for: a strong, biblical education, an affordable program, and the flexibility of online learning.”
In May she graduated, and with that Master of Science degree in hand, she said the program had more than met her expectations. She was able to connect all that she learned about curriculum, child development, and program administration with her current ministry—and put it into practice right away! That learning and application resulted in more intentional practices resting on a strong biblical foundation.
“At MLC, I learned as much as I had hoped,” she said, “and probably more than I realized I needed to learn when I began.”
Most importantly, Sherri sees how her graduate work at MLC helped her grow spiritually. “It reminded me that everything we do in our preschool—from the way we interact with children and families to the way we lead our staff—is an opportunity to reflect Christ’s love,” she said. “I came away with not only more knowledge and practical tools, but also a renewed sense of purpose for the ministry we are doing through our preschool.”
Sherri’s encouragement? “Try a class, see how it fits into your life, then pursue it!”
Written by Haley Wels MLC ’16
