April 2022
About
Department/School/Division: Career Services
Campus: Lakeshore
Years at Loyola: Just over 2 years
What is your favorite thing about working at Loyola? Truly it is a tie between the people I work with and the students I support. I am lucky to work with a very passionate and supportive team in Career Services, as well as collaborative partners in other schools and divisions. But my work is truly driven by the students I support in the School of Nursing, Parkinson School and School of Environmental Sustainability. Their resilience, passion and commitment to creating a better world – and the chance to be a part of their story – has gotten me through this very challenging past year.
What is your most memorable achievement as a Loyola employee? Career development work for me is defined by modest but important successes. Hearing from a student that they landed great work, or even made a major change in response to our work together is one of the best rewards. Now that I have been in my role a few years I am also proud of the connections I am forming with faculty and staff in departments. My work is most effective when thoughtful intersections with the academic experience exist.
What does Loyola's mission mean to you? Work does so many things for us – it can provide us with financial security, benefits, social connection, meaning. But what has always driven me is a belief that my work should benefit others. Loyola’s mission and vision resonate with me through the focus on service to others, social justice, and social responsibility. Particularly right now when we are all so divided – physically and ideologically – the values of interconnectedness and interdependence is so important. Loyola’s mission to me means that we are all a part of a community, and we each have a responsibility to make it better.
What motivates you to succeed each and every day? Most of my days are spent with students – either teaching UNIV224, leading presentations, or in individual meetings. These connections motivate me both to succeed and also to be fully present in my work. On a personal level, as a parent I am motivated to do great work in order to model “success” for my daughter. My commitment to my work shows her that it is possible to balance work and family, and it models the importance of doing work that has impact.
Tell us how you show your Rambler pride: I did buy Loyola t-shirts for the whole family when I started, but I think the best sign of my pride is how I talk about Loyola internally and externally. I encourage students to reflect on the unique values and experiences that come out of their Loyola education, in order to communicate these to employers. This is true of my interactions with employers and anyone external to Loyola, spotlighting both the value of the University as a whole and the strength of our students.
Tell us something most people at Loyola would be surprised to know about you: As a career development professional I enjoy the concept of occupational daydreams – careers we have considered in the past that can help us identify common themes. A few of my occupational daydreams include teacher, rock star, journalist, meteorologist, psychology professor and eventually career counselor.
