Lead On!

Megan Burke

4/12/2018

My name is Megan Burke and I am the Applied Learning Advisor at the State University of New York at Potsdam. My position allows me to help students find internship opportunities and study abroad programs. During my undergraduate career at Clarkson University, I majored in communications in Potsdam, NY. While there I worked for the admissions office as a student representative and assistant; the student success center as a proctor for students with accommodations; the financial aid office as a student worker; the student success center as a master peer educator to freshmen; and a volunteer for the international affairs office as their study abroad buddy manager.
Each of those positions allowed me to work with students, faculty, staff, and families of all backgrounds. In my current position I work with students who may be first generation, grew up in a small town or large city, may be part of the LGBTQ+ community, or may be underprivileged in their access to educational resources. I help all students use resources to find an internship in their desired career field and guide them in their journey to get there. My prior experiences have given me the opportunity to interact with multiple people and prepared me for the hundreds of students I work with each semester.
Advice I would have for someone wanting to follow in my foot steps is follow your passion. I didn’t know what my passion was, and it took me being in my current position for me to recognizing mine is teaching. Having made this realization, I decided to go back to graduate school for childhood education. Do what makes you happy and learn from your experiences. They will guide you to your future.

Katie Nix

3/23/2018

My name is Katie Nix and I currently work as a “Permitting Manager,” which is a fancy term for government relations/site acquisition specialist for a wireless infrastructure company called Mobilitie. I was a Community Advisor for Georgia College from 2010-2012. After I graduated, I worked as a paralegal for three years and found a passion in real estate which led me to my current job. My Community Advisor position helped me get to where I am in my professional life in many ways. First, it showed me I wanted to help people for a living beyond college. Working with other students and creating our own sub-community on our floor was a task. You have to learn how to take a diverse group of people and have them work together so they can live together. This in particular has helped me work with community leaders in my current job. They may not necessarily understand what my company does or wants to do, but they ultimately want what is best for their city or town. I help come up with solutions that fit their needs while still being able to make a smart business decision in the end.
Another way my Community Advisor position has helped me get to where I am today is because I took a leap of faith and ran for President of Rho Alpha. Rho Alpha at the time was a group of selected individuals from the Student Housing community who worked with the student housing department to come up with the best ways to make Georgia College Housing the best and most diverse experience of on-campus life. I was ultimately elected by my fellow Community Advisor members and had to work democratically to come up with ways to help my fellow student leaders lead and mold their individual floor communities. Having to work, listen, strategize, and be opened minded in Rho Alpha taught me how to be successful in my current job because I apply those same concepts today. It also taught me my strengths and weaknesses as a leader, how to deal with stress, and that every decision you make as a leader is not always going to be popular with your fellow community members.
My advice to any current student leader would be to keep an open mind, understand that you are not always going to be right and be okay with that, remember that what is always right isn’t always popular, and finally love what you do and do what you love. Being a student leader is hard work, but just remember that these are memories and lessons that will stick with you in your professional career.

Brandon Brown

2/17/2018

My name is Brandon Brown and I currently live in Birmingham Alabama serving as a Residence Life Coordinator at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. While in undergrad at Middle Tennessee State University, I was very involved on campus. My two favorite positions were Resident Assistant of Housing and Residential Life and Philanthropic Coordinator with the Student Government Association.
Both positions allowed for me to connect with others on campus, learn about my values and passion areas, and grow personally and professionally. The Student Government Association made me think critically and outside of the box to bring attention to area on campus that needed improvement or re-direction. This allowed for me to grow my confidence in standing up for what I believed in and pushed those who could make the changes realize that although things have been done the same way for years, does not mean they should continue being done in that way. Being a resident assistant has helped make me who I am today. My love for working with college students, specifically freshmen students, grew as I was RA. I loved every minute of being an RA. While it was a hard job, each day something made me realize how rewarding it was. There are a lot of long nights and early mornings as an RA, but you never know who you can touch or inspire. This is what kept me going each day. My freshmen residents were wild, and needed a lot of guidance and support, but I would not have had it any other way. After my second year of being an RA and one year of being a Resident Director, I knew that I wanted to go into Student Affairs. My time spent in housing at MTSU has led me to pursue a career in housing and residence life.
Advice for those inspiring to get involved on campus while in undergrad – do it! I did not go to school to work in residence life for the rest of my life, however, because I got involved on campus, I found my passion and purpose. College can be the best years of your life, so do not spend it only in your room or in the classroom. Be open to change – you will change, your friends will change, and your life will change – while you are in college. College allows you to become who you are and who you want to be for life, so if you remain open to change and developing as a person, you will become your best you! When you fail – because it will happen – make sure you get back up and keep going. Failing is inevitable, so when it comes and knock you down, get back up and try again. Do not let your failures keep you down. Developing a level of GRIT will allow you to conquer anything.

Mark Jestel

1/20/2018

Hello Luminstruct family! My name is Mark Jestel and I am the Director of Residential Education at Piedmont College as well as one of the primary creators of the Luminstruct Website. Over the course of the past decade, my life has constantly been in an exciting state of growth and change. I started school in Georgia, wanting to become a High School biology teacher. I had an amazing instructor my senior year of high school and wanted to be just like him when I grew up. He taught in an “outside the box” kind of way and had a passion for his students and the subject that simply inspired all around him. My first two years at college were not what you might expect. Besides some work in our Resident Student Association, I had not been very involved on campus, I did not have a good support network of friends, and I was struggling in my school work. After an eye-opening experience, I realized it was time to reset my priorities. I wanted to try something new and applied to be an RA.
On the day they announced who was hired and who wasn’t, I found out I had been placed on an alternate list. In some ways, I believe this lit a fire beneath me. I worked closely with the housing department to improve my application and was offered a position over the summer when they had a surprise opening. I fell in love with the RA position. It’s hard to explain, but from time to time you just have the feeling that you are in the right place at the right time.
Over the last summer at college, I spoke with the housing department Director and asked if there were any summer job opportunities which may involve using my programming skill-set. I was then put in charge of an alcohol alternative program series where I was tasked with creating a large-scale program every week of the academic year on Thursday nights. This program had a $55,000 budget and although it eventually died out due to funding restraints, it had set me apart from other students when I was applying for a graduate program. I received my undergrad degree in Biology in 2012 and married my two loves of science and housing by creating a capstone project based on water quality in the residence halls and installing hydration stations in each residential building.
My story continued in North Carolina where I received a Master’s Degree in College Student Personnel. While attending to my studies, I held an Assistantship as an Assistant Resident Director in a first-year building as well as an upper-level building. I also learned other important skillsets by interning at a Student Union for a semester, being an ACUHO-I summer intern in Florida and teaching an RA class as well as a class dedicated toward leadership through the lens of masculinity. I also tried to get as involved as I could in various committee work and learned how other departments operated. This was also when I first started brainstorming ideas about a website called Luminstruct which could provide resources to Student Leaders as well as full-time professionals. Life was moving quickly and I loved every second of it! After graduating with a 4.0 GPA from my grad program, I travelled back down to Georgia to be the Chief Housing Officer at Piedmont College.

In closing, there are a few major points I want to convey for individuals still in college or are still trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives.

Life is unpredictable, be flexible, but also don’t lose who you are: It is important to realize that our lives are constantly in a state of flux and are evolving with every passing day. Although I am not a Biology teacher as I had planned, I took the time to realign my priorities and found that I was still meant to be a teacher, but more of a teacher of life skills. Things don’t always turn out the way you planned, be willing to constantly reassess where you have been and where you are going. Take a chance and ride life’s crazy wave!
Use your failures as learning opportunities: You can get very far in life with a positive outlook and seeing the silver lining. Maybe you didn’t get the job you wanted, maybe that opening wasn’t right for you at that time or you weren’t ready for that kind of position. Take control and find out how to improve your application for the future.
You are not alone: Every step listed above had about 3-4 mentors behind it who helped as moral support, advice givers, and resources to help get to the next step. When in doubt always ask questions, it may lead to a new summer job!

Jeff Foster

12/20/2017

My name is Jeff Foster and I am currently a technologist for LabCorp in the Molecular Genetics department. I majored in forensic science and general biology in college at Western Carolina University, and during my time there, I spent nearly 3 years of it as an RA. That time helped me build confidence in a leadership role, which has helped me a ton in my professional role. I always step up to take lead on new projects presented to our department as well as serve as the main trainer for new techs in the department. This lead to me recently being recognized for my leadership by being awarded the Laboratorian of the year Award. As an RA, you feel like you have to be ready for anything and everything because you never know what would happen. Because if this, I learned that as long as you are calm, communicate effectively, and use critical thinking, you can handle anything thrown at you. In your profession, whatever it may be, you will undoubtedly encounter situations in which you are not entirely prepared, but will be able to use the same skills to manage those situations.
My advise for someone in a science field is to never be afraid to ask questions and make mistakes because that's the only way you will learn. Take advantage of new projects and keep trying if things do not work the first time. If you truly have a passion for what you do, it will not go unnoticed and you will be rewarded.

Kriston Haynes

11/6/2017

My name is Kriston Haynes and I am a proud alumnus of Western Carolina University and Piedmont College. During my time there as a student, I was involved in many organizations that helped me grow personally and professionally. My studies and activities all helped me become who I am today and make me a better teacher for the state of North Carolina.

Some of my most memorable moments were working with peers and mentors in the Department of Residential Living. They were my family and I learned so much from them that has translated into other aspects of my life. I gained new skills on how to be creative, how to confront issues, and how to work with a community of partners to create a better place for everyone.

The best advice I could give anyone is to get involved in an organization that you care about and will help you grow. Try out anything that interests you or maybe you haven't experienced before. That's the beauty of college! Get out there and try new things because opportunities like that are hard to come by once you leave school and the lessons you learn from them will carry you a long way.

Kelsey Richardson

10/26/2017

My name is Kelsey Richardson, and I’m currently a reporter in the gorgeous valley town of Andrews, N.C. I write for two community newspapers, the Cherokee Scout and Andrews Journal. On a daily basis you can find me interviewing people, writing stories and chasing down the latest scoop–literally. My articles range from hard news to exposing the interesting lives of local residents.

A year and a half ago I earned my B.A. in mass communication and minor in biology from Georgia College & State University. While attending college, I worked as a CA (the cooler version of an RA) for three years at the university’s apartments. I kicked off my job by taking charge of around 60 freshmen residents, which slowly progressed into approximately 90 residents by my last year as a CA.

I developed a myriad of skills while working as a CA, which in turn have strengthened my abilities as a reporter. For years I had to gain the attention of dozens of residents, convincing them to fill out surveys, attend meetings and show up to events. It’s safe to say earning 100 percent survey feedback from over 90 residents was quite the daunting task. As a CA I learned how to politely confront residents and somehow convince them to do what I wanted–most of the time. As a reporter I complete similar tasks including interviewing people and getting in contact with strangers.

My advice for current CAs/RAs would be to take a chance and step out of your comfort zone. Sometimes the places less traveled lead to exciting experiences and developing a wealth of connections. Not knowing anyone in North Carolina, I took a risk and accepted my current job. Additionally, before becoming a reporter, I worked as an editorial intern in Hong Kong for a summer. I’ve without a doubt grown in my career field and as a person because I stepped beyond my comfort zone.

Demario Watts

9/25/2017

My name is Demario Watts and I serve as the Assistant Dean of Students for Diversity and Leadership Development at Wofford College. I graduated from Lander University with a degree in Sociology. I was a Resident Assistant at Lander and that is where my thoughts of Higher Education as a job became a reality. I had great mentors at Lander who introduced me to this field and I have been enjoying it ever since. Being a Resident Assistant truly helped me get to the position I currently serve in. During that time, I learned more about myself than I ever thought I would. Learning how to build community and relationships, being relatable to others, handling conflict and having difficult conversations were all skills that I gained during my undergrad experience. I think having the Resident Assistant role gave me opportunities to work back at Lander as a Residence Life Coordinator and later as an Associate Director at Wofford.

The advice I would give to anyone following in my footsteps would be:
1. Take part of any type of internships, programs, conferences that are offered to you by your institution;
2. Build relationships through networking;
3. Believe in yourself and also learn from your mistakes;
4. Be your authentic self all the time;
5. Lastly, push through the hard times and remember the good memories.

Brittany Foster

8/16/2017

My name is Brittany and I currently process and underwrite Crop Insurance with American Farm Bureau Insurance Services. Our regional office services 6 different Farm Bureau states and our home office services 12 Midwestern states. Crop insurance is important because it provides a safe guard for farmers in the events of weather, low production and other perils. For some of these farmers, the added security of insurance for their crops provides them the ability to care for their families without worrying about losing all the income poured into their farming operation. In result, a lot of the Insurance agents we deal with have personal relationships with these farmers so when we talk with them, we talk with the farmer. Being a Resident Assistant in college helped me hone my skills for dealing with individuals when it comes to matters that may be personal or important to them. This is such a crucial skill in our field as we provide a service that can impact an individual’s livelihood. I look back at all the one on one conversations I had with my residents and I am always amazed to see how those techniques still apply to my role today.

If there was one thing I would want anyone to know about going into a field similar to mine is that when it comes to something so personal like their livelihood, a little kindness goes a long way. A lot of time you come in contact with agents that are struggling with paperwork or don't understand the process of a claim and taking the time to be patient and kind with them helps make that phone call productive and pleasant. Kindness is something that you can bring into any field. So don't be afraid to lend a helping hand or offer a smile. You never know what that may mean to someone.

Stephanie Newton

7/27/2017

Hello, my name is Stephanie Newton!

One of my favorite Broadway show tunes proudly proclaims the line "but it's in the detour that we truly find our way."

Choosing to attend Converse College, a women’s college that had only been on my radar for a month before committing to enroll, was one of those major detours that started me on this crazy journey. Once there, I was encouraged to try anything that appealed to me, empowering me to be impactful and diverse in my interests and activities. I was the chairperson for a community service organization, served in student government, worked as a residential advisor, studied ecotourism in the Galápagos Islands, and even spent three years as a synchronized swimmer.

After earning my Bachelor’s degree in biology, my life continued to take detours into a job as a zookeeper, which led to work in conservation education and field research, which somehow transformed into work designing and leading tours in the tourism capital of the United States: Orlando, Florida. During this journey, I was able to increase my versatility and ability to learn on the job as I performed roles as diverse as training giraffes, teaching summer camp, leading tours, and serving craft beers. For four years, I was even paid to ride roller coasters at Disney World!

To take on these varied roles, I’ve moved across cities, across the United States, and most recently, across the world. I took a crazy chance, applied for a working holiday visa in New Zealand, sold my belongings, and bought a one-way plane ticket to a country I’d never even visited. Oh, and I moved here by myself. I spent four months wwoofing, where one works short-term on family farms or small organic industries in exchange for room and board. My adventures included maintaining a yoga and meditation bed and breakfast, packaging organic seeds, picking feijoa fruit, and getting head butted by an incredibly obstinate sheep. Most recently, my travels have led me to Queenstown, where I’m working in a hotel, and doing my best to learn how to snowboard without breaking myself.

Don’t ever let yourself be limited to a certain job title, no matter what your degree declares your area of expertise to be. Be willing to do what you need to in order to make your life what you want. Every role can teach you something that can be applied to a future role. Years of supplemental income from working in restaurants not only gave me the financial means to embark on this incredible overseas journey, but it also gave me applicable skills to find employment anywhere in the world. Maybe your job is your life fulfillment; maybe it’s something that doesn’t drive you crazy and provides the means to find your fulfillment in other capacities. Finally, always remember that CHANGING the dream isn’t the same as giving up on your dreams.

If you’d like to follow along on my adventures, please check out my Facebook travel page @where.in.the.world.is.stephanie.sandiego or my blog at www.stephaniesandiego.wordpress.com

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