Dr. Leila Borders
University of New Orleans
Ph.D. in Marketing-Georgia State University, 2002
Information Systems, University of Oklahoma

Five kids call Leila Borders "grandma." Hundreds of young adults now call her "professor."

In a quarter-century corporate career, Leila Borders had never entertained a thought of teaching until she sat in a doctor's waiting room one day in 1996, eyeing an article on a PhD Project participant. It was as if a light went on. "Something said, 'this is for you,'" she remembers.

After a midlife career shift, Dr. Borders is now a professor at the University of New Orleans. Even as she teaches a "principles of selling" course, Dr. Borders shows her students how to sell themselves. "All semester, I work with my students on their resumes. At the beginning, I ask, who doesn't have a resume, who isn't satisfied with theirs? Everyone raises their hands. I have them all send me theirs, and I review them and send them back with comments. I always tell them, 'remember, you are selling yourself.' I have helped several of them get jobs in this way."

Dr. Borders' touches many other corners of her students' lives. She has created an elaborate system to exchange notes and messages with each student throughout the semester. Using this channel, she has helped undergraduates successfully tackle a whole spectrum of challenges ranging from the academic to the personal.

If you are a PhD Project participant and would like to share your story, send e-mail.