Education:
B.A. Anderson University, 1985, Sociology, Religion
M.A. University of Illinois at Chicago, 1989, Sociology
Ph.D. University of Illinois at Chicago, 1995, Sociology
Related Professional Work Experience:
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- Teaching and Research Assistant
- Urban Life Center (Chicago Center)
- Program Coordinator, Instructor, Internship Adviser
- Ferris State University, Associate Professor of Sociology
- Coordinator of Civic engagement activities and Community Studies Institute
I have been working with youth and young adults for twenty five years in many different capacities. In college I worked at several summer camps. A summer internship in Chicago in 1984, offered me an opportunity to work with teens from the west side of Chicago in the Cabrini-Green and Humboldt Park neighborhoods. This experience shifted much the direction of my life. I spent a summer after college working with Native American youth in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.
I am very fortunate to have continued this calling in a variety of settings in Higher Education.
This "calling" or vocation has always inspired me to go beyond the expectations of job descriptions. My current position at Ferris State University has provided me with unique resources that I feel I must share beyond my own classroom. I have volunteered with the local Intermediate School District, to provide technical assistance in improving Early Childhood Education access. I am currently working with a few Ferris students and the local Department of Human Services to research ways to better prepare children who are in foster care to live independently after "aging out".
I have collaborated or spearheaded many efforts at Ferris State University to engage students in service and other civic activities. I work with the Diversity office to find ways to increase black and hispanic student enrollment.
The most meaningful experiences I have had is volunteering on occasions at my children's school. Traveling to the zoo or the pumpkin patch with my children and their classmates has given me the chance to be a part of "their village". I have also learned that no amount of training can quite prepare you for the joys and frustrations of coaching a 6 and 7 year old track team. (Watch out for the baton).
For me the School Board is the next step I can take to continue the calling of maximizing my gifts at improving the lives of as many children as I can.