Auburn College of Education student continues lifelong learning, pursues fifth degree

Twenty-five years ago, Angeila Scarborough became a student at Auburn for the first time, and since then, she has earned four degrees. Now, Scarborough is pursuing her fifth degree—a doctorate in educational leadership—in Auburn’s College of Education.

“My life is a snapshot of someone who never stopped learning,” Scarborough said. “Without learning, without books, without reading, without a thirst for knowledge, I think my life would be missing something so important.”

Scarborough holds an undergraduate degree in communication disorders, two master’s degrees in vocational rehabilitation and special education (collaborative K-12), and an education specialist degree in educational leadership from Auburn. She also earned a Leadership in Administration Certification from the University of West Alabama.

“I believe we are all students and life is a school,” Scarborough said. “We might as well learn all we can while we can.”

She first worked as a vocational rehabilitation counselor before changing paths four years later and beginning a career in speech-language pathology at Honeysuckle Middle School in Dothan, Alabama. She worked as a speech-language pathologist for the Dothan City Schools for 14 years before transitioning into an administrative role.

In August, Scarborough began her newest position as the assistant principal at D.A. Smith Middle School in Ozark, Alabama.

“It means a great deal to me to have the privilege to become an assistant principal in my lifetime,” Scarborough said. “I love to help others flourish, so it is rewarding to work in a role where I can give back to teachers and students and pass on the values that have been instilled within me.”

Scarborough describes her experience in the College of Education as instrumental in preparing her to take on the new role, from traveling abroad to researching the well-being of principals.

“I have been able to learn from and be mentored by world class leaders at Auburn,” she said. “Auburn University opened up my eyes to an entire world of education.  I had the opportunity to go to Australia with my major professor, Dr. Ellen Hahn, through the Leaders in Education Around the Planet (LEAP) program.  There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of this experience in some form.  It changed the way I think about education and had a lifelong impact on me as an educator.”

Scarborough said she could call every one of her professors in the educational leadership program and tell them she loves them, but she particularly values the relationship she has built with Hahn.

“The educational leadership faculty are exceptional,” Scarborough said. “My life would not be the same without them in it.  My dissertation chair Ellen R. Hahn is the best teacher, mentor and friend I have ever had.”

Hahn said she values time spent working with Scarborough, and that she is an outstanding leader in K-12 education.

“Angeila Scarborough is why I continue to teach,” Hahn said. “She represents the type of school leader I want sitting at the helm of Alabama schools, and it is an honor and a privilege to work with her. She is a positive person with the ability to think deeply about how her work connects to students and families of our state, and she is such a great representative of what it means to be part of the Auburn Family.”

Scarborough plans to graduate with her fifth degree, a doctorate in educational leadership, in August 2026, and she hopes her journey will inspire others to keep learning.

“When you learn, you grow, and when you grow and love people, something special happens,” Scarborough said. “Everyone benefits from the education behind you, and there is nothing like an education from Auburn.”

Visit the educational leadership page on the College of Education’s website to learn more about the program.