I graduated from Rocky River High School in 2012, ready to take on the world of visual communication design at Kent State University. Or, so I thought. After my first semester of college I realized that graphic design was a hobby for me, not my passion. After receiving some counseling from Kent State's career services department, I stowed away my design tools, and changed my major to Psychology. I went from a specific, straight-and-narrow patted major, to one of the most ambiguous majors possible.
I had no idea what I wanted to do with this degree, but I knew it would aid me in my passion: helping people solve their problems, whatever they may be. After spring semester of sophomore year, I picked up a conflict management minor, which allowed me to learn some useful tools for helping people solve complex issues within themselves, and/or their interpersonal communications.
Upon graduation I was placed into a job coaching position with Youth Opportunities Unlimited through Robert Half. Here, I worked with underprivileged inner-city youth in Cleveland to help them gain useful work experience for their resumes. I had 50 individuals in my cohort, and helped them with any work related issue they may have had, including collecting their timesheet information. This position helped me realize that my passion truly dwelled within helping individuals better themselves.
Once this position ended, I signed on to serve with AmeriCorps at Lorain County Community College. Before I started this position, I still was not quite sure what I wanted to do professionally. However, I knew the position of College Completion Coach with AmeriCorps sounded like it was a great stepping stone and valuable work experience. Little did I know, this position would spark my passion of being a student centered professional. I quickly found that I could combine my passions of helping people and higher education into one position, something I was completely unaware of before.
After two years at AmeriCorps, I applied and accepted admission to Kent State University's Higher Education Administration graduate program. I am now a graduate assistant in the Vacca Office of Student Services in the College of Education, Health, and Human Services. Everyday, I am reaffirming my passion for helping students realize their goals by empowering them with answers to their questions; and reassuring them when they are uneasy or anxious about the sometimes difficult journey of college. It is now my goal to positively impact as many students' lives as possible by helping them realize that they too can have their own unique student success story.