Shanita L. Pettaway, JD, PhD

12/02/2025

Thank You, Lily Baptist Church: Mobile, Alabama✨

12/01/2025

Thank You, Innovation in Learning Center✨

10/28/2025

…blessed and good to be good in multiple academic neighborhoods, lol; yesterday, I moseyed on over to the Mitchell College of Business (MCOB) and helped close out Ethics Month by serving as a judge for the Ethics Case Study Competition.

Students were invited to participate in the Ethics Case Study Competition, where student teams analyzed a case study and provided a written response. The winning submissions were invited to present their solutions to the dilemma in front of a panel of judges for a chance to win $300; however, every finalist received a prize.

Law is an interdisciplinary subject matter that continues to evolve as society increasingly acknowledges the overlap of law with essentially every facet of study and practice. Ethics is one of those facets. I think this was an awesome opportunity for students to become more familiar with ethics and its practical application.

Thank you for the invitation and opportunity to serve!

-Dr. Shanita L. Pettaway and/or Shanita L. Pettaway, JD, PhD✨

10/27/2025

…I am grateful for every opportunity to serve and utilize knowledge God has blessed me with to uplift and inspire others. Today, I had the pleasure of serving as moderator as I assisted committee members in introducing YLI students to DEBATE.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® Youth Leadership Institute (AKA YLI) is a youth-led and highly interactive leadership development program designed to empower and engage youth, ages 11-13, by providing educational services such as conducting programs, workshops, and field trips for middle school youth related to stem, the environment, culture, and careers.

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.’” -Erma Bombeck

-Dr. Shanita L. Pettaway and/or Shanita L. Pettaway, JD, PhD✨

10/20/2025

…glad to be in the SERVICE one more time! I extend sincere gratitude to Sis. Hazel Brown, President of Pastoral Aide, for affording me the honor and opportunity to serve in the capacity of presider as we celebrated the 15th Anniversary of Pastor Powell and to Sis. Deborah Carter for introducing me✨

As we gathered to honor, celebrate, and appreciate the servant leadership of Pastor Powell and First Lady Powell, I encouraged the congregation to briefly reflect on the Biblical presence of the words “serve” and “lead.” Derivatives of the word “serve” appear in the Bible approximately 1600 times, while derivatives of the word “lead” appear at a significantly less occurence of approximately 60 times📖

⛪️Some are called to lead; however, everyone is called to serve.
⛪️You can serve without leading; however, you cannot lead without serving.

On this day, dedicated to appreciation of our Pastor, in whom we see a leader and servant, I admonished the congregation to look within themselves and see the servant, while remembering all of the servants who have gone before us, including, but not limited to: my Daddy, the late Deacon Jessie L. Pettaway, Sr., my Mama, the late Deaconess Barbara Pettaway, my dear Aunt and Uncle, the late Shirley Parker Pettaway and late Jonas “Preacher” Pettaway, all of whom served faithfully and would remind us to KEEP SERVING⛪️

10/16/2025

Read my brief interview with Juris Education, a leading law school admissions consulting edtech startup✨

Discover how the University of South Alabama (USA), Pre-Law Society courtroom training, mentorship and accessibility to prepare practice-ready lawyers.

10/13/2025

God looked through the menu…and guess what He ordered—my steps! There is power in quiet confidence.

…what about the girl’s girl who is not the girls’ girl? What about the imperfectly perfect good woman who enters spaces with quiet confidence, a pure heart, and no need for a clique?

Quiet confidence is not about being the loudest in the room. It’s about entering spaces with silent certainty that you belong there, even if no one claps for you. It’s an understanding of being misunderstood. It’s comfort in the lack of comprehension of your calling. It’s the ability to make a statement that speaks volumes without saying a word. It’s humorous pleasure in your presence being mistaken for performance because the way you show up is not used to. It’s the refusal to attempt to explain or justify God’s grace (unmerited favor).

Quiet confidence is built in silence—

🤫in the fiery furnaces you ascend from, not even smelling like smoke…🔥
🤫in the storms and warfare you endure, without being a casualty…🌪️⚔️
🤫in the flowers that grow from the bountiful amount of dirt that is thrown on your name…💐
🤫from the robust flavor that emerges from the salt that is shaken on you…🧂
🤫in the firm foundation you build, with the bricks thrown at you…🧱

When your mere presence alone often naturally intimidates people without your doing anything except being you, being a girl’s girl does not necessarily make you the girls’ girl. As a girl’s girl who is not the girls’ girl, I don’t exclusively subscribe to the girl’s girl rhetoric. I’m just the woman God created me to be, and for those with hearts and minds open and strong enough to get it and get me—I am more than enough. My hope, nor faith, nor success, nor livelihood are rooted in the opinions of others or in selective support—but in Christ, who strengthens me.

“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness; on Christ the solid rock I stand; all other ground is sinking sand.”

🎀

-Dr. Shanita L. Pettaway and/or Shanita L. Pettaway, JD, PhD🎀

09/29/2025

🗣️RECESS! Analogous with the childhood pastime, sometimes you are pulled back in order to be pushed higher—what do you do when God pulls you back to push you higher? SWING! 🛝🤸🏾‍♀️

In His infinite wisdom, He, sometimes, subtracts➖ in order to add➕, divides➗ in order to multiply✖️—in the midst of it all, never doubt or underestimate the ability of the Master Mathematician (God) to balance🟰 the equation✨

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
-Jeremiah 29:11📖

-Dr. Shanita L. Pettaway and/or Shanita L. Pettaway, JD, PhD 💛

09/21/2025

I’m a woman of action, because faith without works is dead (James 2:17); however, in some seasons, God has to figuratively tap me on my shoulder and say, “Nita, do nothing, so I can do everything.” In this season, I’m embracing the transformative strength of stillness—and it ain’t easy, lol. It’s a learned skill. Even Paul, had to LEARN to be content (“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” -Philippians 4:11).

Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu, emphasized the principle of finding balance between action and rest (wu wei)—that stillness is not the opposite of movement, but its very foundation—stillness does not equal immobility.

Be Still. The Hebrew verb rendered, “be still,” can also be translated, “cease striving.” Sometimes, stillness accomplishes what motion and effort can’t. Deliberate inaction can be more productive and revealing than constant, frantic activity. When we rest in God instead of relying on our limited efforts, we discover Him to be our unassailable refuge and strength.

🪑🩵Motion focuses on control; stillness leads to release;

🪑🩵Motion causes clutter; stillness provides clarity;

🪑🩵Motion relies on your limited power; stillness connects you to a greater power;

🪑🩵Motion encourages distraction; stillness cultivates awareness;

🪑🩵Motion prolongs healing; stillness enables recovery.

Stillness is not an absence of power, but a different kind of strength. In a world built on motion, I recognize the power of stillness💪🏾

“Be still and know that I am God.”
-Psalm 46:10, KJV📖

-Dr. Shanita L. Pettaway and/or Shanita L. Pettaway, JD, PhD

09/14/2025

…onward and upward—Upward Bound has a reputation for excellence, providing fundamental support to participants in their preparation for college entrance, as well as opportunities for participants to succeed in their pre-college performance and ultimately in their higher education pursuits. As a first generation college graduate and product of an Upward Bound Program, I can attest to the important role that the program played in my collegiate career. In that same spirit, it’s always a blessing to positively contribute to University of South Alabama’s Upward Bound Program as I engage with its phenomenal students.

I shared how Upward Bound gave birth to my desire to work in Higher Education, positing me in my very first pre-professional role in the Transfer Admissions Office at Spring Hill College, beginning just days post-high school graduation. That’s right—my career in higher education was not by mere happenstance—it started over 20 years ago, while I was still in high school!

…from the humble beginning of sorting files to writing and implementing university-wide policies and procedures, reviewing and negotiating hundreds of university contracts per fiscal year, to overseeing regulatory training for a campus community of 30,000+ students, to serving as subject matter expert in multiple areas of higher education compliance, to liaising with executive leadership, to becoming an award-winning faculty member, to only God knows what’s next—thank you, Upward Bound (and God🙏🏾 and my parents🕊️)

An endeavor that brings me joy, as well as personal and professional satisfaction is tipping the scales of educational methodology in favor of high school and college students, helping them during what is probably one of the most critical junctures of their lives.

-Dr. Shanita L. Pettaway

09/11/2025

…not me graduating again (🤣| 😎); tunnel vision—I just try to see God in ALL experiences and use them for His glory✨

“A state of mind that sees God in everything is evidence of growth in grace and a thankful heart.”
-Charles Grandison Finney💬

Nelson Mandela opined, “Education is the most powerful weapon one can use to change the world”—as a past and present leader in Higher Education, God has blessed me to not only touch the future, but change the world—daily.

🗓️
📚
✝️
🎓

-Dr. Shanita L. Pettaway

06/13/2025

Recognize God’s hand, not only in opened doors, but also in closed doors.

🚪You’re not silenced | You’re sealed
🚪You’re not rejected | You’re reserved
🚪You’re not overlooked | You’re covered
🚪You’re not punished | You’re prepared
🚪You’re not isolated | You’re preserved
🚪You’re not ignored | You’re intentioned
🚪You’re not unseen | You’re hidden

“He made my mouth like a sharpened sword, in the shadow of His hand He hid me; He made me into a polished arrow and concealed me in His quiver.” -Isaiah 49:2 📖

With the same precision that He hides you in His hand, He will release you from His quiver, like a polished arrow—on time and on target🎯

“I rejoice, not merely in the prospect of the next opened door, but also in the closed door as a mere hallway that leads to the next opened door, because, while I may not know exactly WHAT my future holds, I know exactly WHO holds my future.” -Dr. Shanita L. Pettaway and/or Shanita L. Pettaway, JD, PhD