College of Business

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

How did you gain experience when you were a student?

I was a work-study student at the library and speech communication department while also working as a radio announcer. In my summers, I was a park ranger at Scotts Bluff National Monument.

How did you become a career development professional?

My major was communication studies with organizational psychology and business minors. My first job out of college was leading job search programs for individuals receiving public assistance. From there, I moved into a role working with career information for colleges and K-12 schools. This varied background in career development led me to work in college career services.

Who is someone who impacted your career development?

My supervisor and head of the Speech Team inspired me on presentations and content creation. My Business Communications faculty impressed upon me the importance of a solid resume and being able to target my skills as a liberal arts major. These both led me to pursue a career where I could deliver career preparation content and help people find ways to market themselves effectively.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

How did you gain experience when you were a student?

I made myself apply for new opportunities even if they were outside of my comfort zone. This included applying for leadership roles, internships, and taking classes that included project work, even if they seemed harder than another class.

How did you become a career development professional?

I was a journalism and mass communications major with full intentions of working within public relations. What changed my path was an acquaintance in a student organization encouraging me to apply to be a peer career advisor, where I learned that I was truly more interested in career development than journalism.

Who is someone who impacted your career development?

I think the most influential person was a professor I had, Rich McCarty, who always stated his students were smarter than him. He really pushed me, personally and professionally that it was okay to get “off-track” and try something new, even if it wasn’t in my plan.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers 

How did you gain experience when you were a student?  

The summer after my sophomore year of college, I was hired to work in the Office of Student Financial Aid at my institution. I was able to learn so much about the financial aid process, and served as a peer counselor to help my fellow students understand the complexities of their aid packages and government regulations. As someone who has “learner” in their top strengths, being exposed to a new field and gaining in-depth knowledge of complex regulations was awesome. It was this position that ended up changing my career trajectory.

How did you become a career development professional? 

I was an English Education major in undergrad. For as long as I can remember, I had planned on becoming a high school English teacher, but when I accepted my role in the Office of Student Financial Aid and taught a class on financial literacy, I realized that I loved working in higher education and that certain roles in that field would give me the opportunity to still teach others. I decided to enroll in graduate school instead of working as a high school teacher. Because of my background in English, friends had been coming to me for years to help them with their resumes and cover letters, so when applying to graduate school, I sought out opportunities that would allow me to work in career services. My second year of graduate school, my assistantship was in the Career Services at CBA office (now the Business Career Center), and that experience solidified my desire to work in career services.

Who is someone who impacted your career development? 

The person who impacted my career development the most as a student was my supervisor at the Office of Student Financial Aid. She really helped me to explore other opportunities outside of high school education, and served as a friend and mentor through my time in the office and a reference when applying to graduate school. I know that I would not be working in career services now if she had not hired me for the peer counselor position.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

How did you gain experience when you were a student?

I worked a lot in undergrad and grad school- probably more than I should have, but it gave me a lot of good experiences and skills on my resume that I later used to convince people to hire me even though I didn’t have direct experience in those fields. During undergrad, I worked at the Rec Center at my university, had a financial education internship, and worked for a small business. I was also involved with student organizations- one related to my business major and one that was focused on volunteering, in addition to participating in an honorary for my major. I also volunteered as a campus tour guide, which I really enjoyed. All of these experiences introduced me to a ton of students and faculty/staff on campus that I probably wouldn’t have otherwise met.

How did you become a career development professional?

In college, I had a hard time choosing between majoring in business or education. I ended up choosing business, but wanted to find some way to incorporate teaching into my career. I ended up in Higher Ed, which has been the perfect match between both those passions. I have always enjoyed helping people look over their resumes and cover letters and having conversations with students about their career paths and trying to connect them with people I know in those fields. When my current position opened up, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to expand on those interests while continuing to work one-on-one with students and still be able to teach.

Who is someone who impacted your career development?

I credit my parents for forcing me to work so much to pay for my own stuff because that gave me a lot of different work experiences that I could look back on and decide which pieces of those jobs I really liked doing, and which pieces I disliked.

Pronouns: He/Him/His

How did you gain experience when you were a student?

I gained experience through on-campus organizations and holding part-time jobs. Starting with student government and eventually working as a campus ambassador, I realized how much I enjoyed working with students in a higher education setting. Off-campus, I held multiple part-time jobs in the restaurant, retail, and entertainment industry.

How did you become a career development professional?
I studied psychology as an undergraduate student with the goal of having a career that would allow me to help people. This led me to pursue a master’s in Counselor Education with the goal of working in education. During my master’s program, I had the opportunity to take a few classes on career counseling. I found these classes to be extremely interesting, and as a result, decided to take an internship as a Career Counselor. During this internship, I discovered how much I enjoyed working in higher education and how much I enjoyed helping students with their professional development.

Who is someone who impacted your career development?
I’ve been fortunate to have many positive influences on my career development. From multiple bosses to graduate/internship advisors I have been extremely lucky. My father by far has had a major influence on my professional development and work ethic. Working together for many years, he taught me the value of hard work, being proactive, thinking outside the box, and overcoming fear in exchange for gaining new experiences.

Pronouns: She/Her

How did you gain experience when you were a student?

I tried to get involved in as many things as possible. In my freshmen year, I made a college bucket list for myself to get involved in different types of experiences and create different types of friend groups. Getting involved in student government, studying abroad, being in a cultural club, becoming a campus tour guide, volunteering, and taking part in honors societies, and academic clubs and sororities were all experiences I was able to accomplish and meet different people that connected with my gaols. Socially, academically and personally creating that network helped me see myself in all kinds of spaces and pursue graduate school/jobs outside of my direct major of interest.

How did you become a career development professional?

I was previously an Academic Advisor for Pre-Health & Pre-Law students in the Explore Center. Some of my favorite parts of my job there were helping students with their application materials for professional school, conducting mock interviews, and overall just helping students prepare for life after graduation whether that be a job, AmeriCorp, traveling, or a volunteer program like Peace Corps. Having the opportunity to work in this area even further and help prepare students for how to “adult” and navigate professionalism is what ultimately led me here. Some other contributing facts are my interest in personal development and leadership as well as the concept of “growing” people.

Who is someone who impacted your career development?

I had many mentors throughout high school and my undergraduate experiences so it is difficult to name only one. My high school Upward Bound counselor instilled a habit in me to go for anything, even if it’s a long shot. Just start by asking a question and you never know how much you can grow your network or experience something you never even thought of. My Geography professors taught me how geography is in and connected to everything. This mindset allowed me to let go of the need to find a job related to my major which led to me being able to adjust my career path and interests as I continue to grow. Having no limit to the fields I can pursue or the people I may not know yet, it’s made it easy to be excited to learn and stay motivated to improve personally and professionally.

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

How did you gain experience when you were a student?

As an undergrad, I worked for a property management company. Although this experience was not related to my major, Family & Consumer Science, I gained valuable skills and had excellent mentors. I enjoyed volunteering at non-profits and was active in student organizations. As a graduate student (25 years later!) I explored my interests in cultural competency and inclusive education through events on campus, engaging with international students, and going on my first study abroad in China.

How did you become a career development professional?

After 20 years, I returned to full-time work and quickly found my passion – student services! I pursued my master’s degree while working full-time in order to achieve my goal of working directly with students. I have thoroughly enjoyed my three years as the international business coordinator with the additional role of assisting in getting the DIGS up and running and building an authentic community and space of inclusion for students in Hawks Hall. I transitioned to the Business Career Center this summer and am excited to support our students in their career pathways!

Who is someone who impacted your career development?

When I began my master’s program in leadership education, one professor was instrumental in guiding me to create a pathway for both my education and career. She asked specific questions to guide my decision making and encouraged my dreams with actionable steps. She has continued to be a great encourager in my life!

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

How did you gain experience when you were a student?

I was involved in several on-campus activities and had internships at Archrival and the Lied Center for Performing Arts. I also had part-time jobs as a high school speech coach and gymnastics coach.

How did you become a career development professional?

I majored in advertising and loved it. However, after a year in the public affairs world, I realized that career path was not for me. I found my way back to college to work as a student affairs professional, where I realized that my interests, skills, and strengths were in coaching students one-on-one to explore and secure career opportunities.

Who is someone who impacted your career development?

My faculty advisor and an instructor for a leadership and service class were instrumental in helping me to explore career paths. I also credit my mother for helping me see that my true career passion was helping students.