From custodian to assistant principal: Relentless pursuit of education leads student to BGSU educational leadership program

Adam Hicks’ unconventional journey shaped his role as an empathetic and effective leader

When Adam Hicks walks into Port Clinton High School each morning, he has a special appreciation for the individual sweeping the hallway floors, the substitute teacher searching for the right classroom, the bleary-eyed young coach who works a second job and even the student who feels like they might not belong in a competitive learning environment.

Hicks, the school’s assistant principal, has been each one of those individuals during his long and circuitous, but relentless, pursuit of his education.

For the 42-year-old, enrolling in the Bowling Green State University educational leadership program amounts to what is likely one of the most important rungs on that career ladder.

“I wasn’t a great student, and when I met with the guidance counselor in high school, they told me college isn’t for you,” said Hicks, a former wrestler and wrestling coach who approached that roadblock with a wrestler’s tenacity, becoming the first member of his blue-collar, working-class family to attend college.

But along the way, stretched out over more than a decade, he attended school part-time and then full-time at a half dozen different institutions. He worked as a groundskeeper, at a veterinary clinic, loaded trucks at a factory, worked in a sandwich shop, as an assistant wrestling and football coach, and did student teaching.

Hicks also worked the night shift as a custodian, cleaning the same classrooms where he had done his student teaching during the day.

That determination, and a commitment to further his skill set and best serve the students he encounters, brought him to the 100% online BGSU educational leadership program in Spring 2024. He's on track to complete the program this spring.

“Our faculty is dedicated to supporting the journey of each student, regardless of where they start or want to end,” said Dr. Todd Cramer, program coordinator and teaching professor in the School of Counseling, Higher Education, Leadership and Foundations. “Adam is an example of this as his presence in our courses added to the richness of the student experience given he openly shared his perspective and how his career path has shaped him into the leader he is today. 

“He exemplifies the fact that our learning community is one that grows together as faculty continue to find innovative ways to connect students to each other as well as the course material in an online platform.”

Hicks sees leadership as a crucial skill, whether he is working as a teacher, intervention specialist, coach or administrator.

“Everyone I spoke with raved about this program and how much you can learn from the professors and the other participants,” said Hicks, who hopes to earn his superintendent license after completing the program. “This is the first time I have done an online program where you get the feeling that you are actually in the classroom. This program has suited me and my schedule perfectly.”

That schedule is a bit more manageable these days as Hicks recalls earlier stops in his career during which he would substitute teach during the day, coach football and wrestling after school and then do his custodial job at night, on the road to earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees while supporting his wife and two children.

“Looking back, it got worse before it got better. It was a nightmare, but I had to do it,” the native of West Lafayette in eastern Ohio said.

“I had to scrape and claw to earn good grades, but I have no doubt that the route I took makes this all more valuable to me.”

Hicks has worked with students with autism, taught and coached, and worked as an intervention specialist for several school systems. He has also served as the dean of students, but no matter the role or job title, Hicks hopes to be the kind of leader who helps each child find their life’s path.

“I am always cognizant of the fact that a conversation I have with a kid is maybe the same conversation a teacher had with me, and it was something I really needed to hear,” he said. “As teachers, coaches and administrators, we are blessed every day to have the opportunity to be that bridge from what you are to what you can be. That has me excited about every day we spend in the building.”