ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½

How did ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ help shape your career path?

I find it odd that people consider a sociology degree useless. How can the study of society be useless? By majoring in sociology, political science or psychology, you are a change maker. You understand how people move as a group, have a wide view of society and how it impacts people. You can apply that to so many different fields. I've worked in law, marketing, sales, non-profits, startups and I've traveled. My sociological mind, degree and everything I’ve learned, at the end of the day is about how to be respectful of others. That journey started at ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ and set the tone for my academic foundation.

What is your fondest memory of your time at ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½?

I was very involved as a student and in debate. We went to the national competition the year I was president. I got to practice my own type of leadership and really hone those skills. When you're leading your peers, you have to be very diplomatic, empathetic, understanding, and listen as to why someone is not doing something. You have to make those hard decisions, but there also decisions you're making with friends.

What is your favorite podcast at the moment?

I'm starting a podcast about the education system, it’s limitations and how to navigate it. What I've realized in my work is; what happens when you don't have a good foundation of study habits or time management? What happens is you get overwhelmed and anxious, and once anxiety rises up in your head, you cannot think straight. You cannot learn if you are in fear, anger, or anxiety.

What good advice did you receive from a professor?

Dr. Jasper was the quintessential scary professor however I grew so much in his class as a writer. I learned that no matter how scary someone is, I can only improve if I go to office hours and listen to the advice that's being given. One of the best pieces of advice he gave me was, for every class, at the end of the semester, write down what you got from the class and how it will go into your future career to build a master resume. Because you're not gonna remember 3 years from now what you did. You need to write it down when it's fresh.

What is something valuable that you’ve learned as an Education Consultant?

A lot of my clients have been told in K-12, that they are not capable. They may have an undiagnosed learning disability or undiagnosed neurodivergent. I got diagnosed with ADHD at 30. I was always an A student and I got overlooked because I didn't typically present with ADHD, until I burned out. And so, how do you model your life, so you can function and not burn out? I encourage people to really think about their career as a whole, not just one job, or one company. You may think that you need to be at a big company but the way those companies are structured, may not actually work for you or the way your brain works. Especially if you're neurodivergent. Working Monday-Friday, 9 to 5, might not be a good fit for you. So how do you navigate the higher education system in a way that helps you collect the skills and the mindset for your career. Not just a job, a career. I think it is helpful to take a step back, and really truly think through what your degree looks like.

How did ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ prepare you for your current role? 

I was a part of everything and anything at ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½. It helped me to be very organized, manage my time and develop critical thinking skills. It also taught me how to me adaptable.. All the professors were approachable, hands on and always willing to help. Dr Adams O’Connell was especially supportive. She had me since day 1 so she knew my strengths and weaknesses. We would have interesting discussions and debates. I remember one of them was about the sociological perspective of the Kardashians. Being able to have those healthy debates was another life skill that I got from my professors. I really do credit them a lot for helping me be the person I am today with my career.

How did ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ help shape your career path?

ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ gave me the space to try and fail and try again. To reset and think of it in a different way. Even now I still struggle with trying to be perfect. Having that space in the beginning of my college career, being able to fail but also having the professors be a good resource to say ‘this was a good approach, but maybe we need to do a course correction to effectively do this project’. Having that good support system helped me realize that it is not a personal attack. It’s constructive and the professors are saying these things to make me better, to help me grow as a person.

What is your favorite book at the moment?

I am currently reading Killing the Mob: The Fight Against Organized Crime in America by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard’s

What is something you wish you could tell your 20 year old self?

Everything will be ok. Everything will work out in the end. It seems like a lot now but I promise it gets better later. And I know that is such a cliché but it’s true! Be willing to try new things even if it scares you. Because if it scares you, it is something that you can learn from.

What goal are you working toward?

With the uncertainty of the job market, I wanted something I could step into to help me get my foot in the door. I’ll probably be here for the next 5 years. The job is great because it offers so many classes, certifications and many avenues into different parts of government and county work. This is definitely something I can wiggle my way though to be able to climb up the ladder.

What was the most important lesson you learned at ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½?

Being able to embrace challenges as opportunities. ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ helped me to step out of my comfort zone, for sure. I am very much an introvert but everything at ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ is so interconnected, it helped me break out of my shell. It was so much fun and a different opportunity to help my brain think more and appreciate all that life has to offer. All of that carried over into my professional life. I did not think I would become a 911 call taker. If you asked me 4 years ago I’d be like ‘you’re funny, that is not happening’ and now I’m here and it’s a fun job. It’s a lot to manage but it’s a different challenge and learning opportunity not only professionally but also personally in my life as well.

How did ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ prepare you for your current role?

Growing up, I was overshadowed and talked over. I still am at Christmas. When I got to ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½, I fell into such a comfortable place. I still look back fondly because I found my voice, I found being comfortable, I found people who would listen wholeheartedly. I had so much love for authentic conversations and connections, which is 100% the theme of being at ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½. I was such a timid thing growing up, and then I got to ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½, and realized I can be a leader. I gained so much confidence. My boss recently left to peruse something else and I was able to step up and become the interim development manager.

How did ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ help shape your career path?

I started at ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ intent on law school. I was president of the Pre-Law Club and interned at Northampton County Courthouse. Then covid hit. Yes, law school sounded great, but when I had a minute to reflect, I was like, I don't know if I want to do this. My degree is in sociology, which could be applied to many things, and it does. I am in software right now, and I absolutely love it! My entire curriculum, my entire way of life when I was there was law school and now I'm not doing any of that. I don't think I would have been comfortable accepting my promotion to manager without the authentic connections and experience that I had at ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½. I will always be grateful for that.

What is your favorite book at the moment?

I've been reading a lot of fantasy. That's been my escape from the world right now. I finished A Court of Thorns and Roses series and I loved Fourth Wing.

What is something you wish you could tell your 20 year old self?

I would say, you have a really good head on your shoulders and you just have to trust that you do. Your experience and your connections with people is only going to get better. You don't have to have a million things on your resume, you don't have to have all these things. If you have a good mindset and a good head everything will be just fine.

What are your current future plans?

I'm looking forward to a new chapter. My boyfriend and I have been in Tallahassee for 5 years and we have both really focused on our professions and integrating into the workforce. He's been working on getting his PhD, and I wanted to really throw myself into becoming a successful person in the work field. So now we're both excited for me be comfortable with my new leadership role, in this very new field to me, because software was never on my radar. We're excited for the next chapter of life, where we're situated and can kind of like enjoy life to its fullest without working our butts off. Preferably abroad.

What is your fondest memory of your time at ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½?

I was asked to give a speech on what scholarships and donations have done for me at the Comenius Dinner at Hotel B. Which was crazy for me to get up and do. I come from Kunkltown, PA, my mom was a single mom with 6 kids, and it helped immensely for me to be able to come to a school like ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½. In my speech I reflected on my time here. It was such a wonderful stage, literally and figuratively, to be on. I felt so empowered. I actually still have framed pictures from that night.

How did ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ prepare you for your current role? 

I took a counseling class and we would do counseling-type role-playing, and I remember the professor saying to me, ‘Are you sure you want to be criminal justice? You're pretty good at counseling.’ I've really found that as a juvenile probation officer, you have to wear multiple hats. At times you have to do law enforcement, but a lot of the job is more counseling and sociology-oriented. I would say the best probation officers have both skill sets.

How did ÐÔÊÀ½ç´«Ã½ help shape your career path?

The spring semester of my junior year, I did a Washington semester at American University. I took classes, did a major research project and got an internship. My internship was with federal probation in Alexandria, Virginia. Once I worked in federal probation, I was like, oh, this is perfect for me. This is exactly what I want. To get that internship during the Washington semester really set me on my career path.

Do you have any advanced degrees?

I did go on and get my master's degree at Shippensburg University in Criminal Justice Administration through a program within the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Judges Commission that sponsors a master's program.

What is your favorite book at the moment?

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. and Tattoos On The Heart by Father Greg Boyle. I would highly recommend. They are great books.

What is something you wish you could tell your 20 year old self?

Make sure you take advantage of opportunities that are presented to you. I never, even today, close doors, so I never think, this is it, I'm going to be in this role for the rest of my career. I'm always searching. And sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone to look for possibilities and open doors. And make sure that you explore them. Don’t get locked into thinking you're going to go a certain way with your career, or just your life, keep your options open.

What goal are you working toward?

I'm really involved in the movement of what juvenile justice looks like in Pennsylvania. I get to be a part of building what I think is a national leader in juvenile justice in Pennsylvania by really focusing on evidence-based practices, the implementation of science into our field, and using research and data to help inform our decisions. Systems have really changed to be more interactive, working with youth, trying to work on risk and need areas, develop skills, provide interventions in those areas. With the ultimate goal of reducing the number of youth that end up in the adult criminal justice system. We've reduced recidivism significantly over the years by changing the way we do business. It used to be, you check in with kids, make sure they're not committing crimes, make sure they're not doing drugs, and you'd go on your way. Now we do assessments, we're figuring out what areas youth are struggling in and really try to provide services in those areas. I think is very important to make sure we continue to refine our system in the years ahead.