My professional experience began in the Fall of 2005.

A friend encouraged me to apply for a Special

Education Paraeducator position during that summer. She assured me that I would love the work and
the team of other paraeducators. She was convinced that I would be great at it. I applied and was
offered the position. My friend was right, I loved the work, my colleagues, and the students. This was my
beginning in the field of Education

During my time at Lakenheath Middle School I spent one semester as a dedicated aide to an 8th grade
student and then two and a half years as a 7th grade Special Education program aide. During that time, I
had a case load of 12-18 students to support. Some of my fondest memories are from when I was
providing direct support to students. My favorite memory is when student K, who was diagnosed with
Downs Syndrome, ran a lap while the other students were completing the mile run. This was significant
because K would usually become stubborn during PE class and not want to participate. This particular
day I engaged her in a game of tag and we were jogging and laughing as we made our way around the
track. K was all smiles as she left PE.

After three years at Lakenheath Middle School I transferred to Liberty Intermediate School where I
worked as the receptionist. While in this position, I learned the administrative support tasks while
supporting the registrar and overseeing the front office. I learned all about student files and the
registration process. I also provided playground support during lunch. It was during this time that I was
able to develop relationships with the students and learn about them on a personal level. It was fun to
watch the students when they were out of the classroom, interacting with each other, navigating the life
of a ten-year-old.

I only held that position for one year. From there I moved into the Registrar position for two years. In
this position I was head of Student Records and was responsible for enrollments and withdrawals, which
happened frequently since this was a school on an American military instillation in England. During an
audit of over 2,500 fields, only three errors were found and they were corrected on the spot.

From England, we moved to Utah. I was out of the workforce for a year when I became the kitchen
manager at Saint Joseph Catholic High School (SJCHS). At the end of the first quarter the registrar
position came open and I moved into it.

SJCHS is a small, private high school in Ogden. Its population averaged at 175 9th-12th grade students per
year. There are approximately 15 faculty and six staff members each year. Having such a small faculty
and staff meant that everyone had to do their job and a little bit more to ensure that the students were
getting the best education possible. My job as the registrar included not only the typical responsibilities,
such as record keeping and enrollment, but also providing foresight for students wanting to attend a
four-year university.

In addition to the important work as a registrar, I was also tasked with building the Master Schedule of
courses each spring. The Master Schedule was of utmost importance because it would determine if
students would be able to take their requested AP courses. In a school that didn’t offer Concurrent
Enrollment, this was the next best thing. With the caliber of student that was attracted to SJCHS, it was
important that the AP courses were aligned without conflict. So, each year, I would open the course
request window so students could let me know what courses they were interested in. I would then set
off, about a month later, with the daunting task, of building the “perfect” schedule. This process would
take weeks, because during spot testing, flaws would be found and tweaks would have to be made. But
in the end, all students would have an appropriate schedule with courses that were on their track for
graduation. While this is not advising within a university setting, I had to know the importance of the AP
courses and the impact completion would have on students. I had to know which courses were
appropriate for those just starting out on an AP journey, and those courses that were more advanced for
our seasoned students. I also needed to have knowledge regarding college acceptance of scores, and
which programs might still require you to take their courses- even if you did have an AP passing score. I
believe the task of creating the Master Schedule each year, was not only above the responsibilities of
the traditional registrar, but also allowed me to participate in college advising.

Another responsibility that I held while at SJCHS was being the Designated School Official (DSO) for our
international student population. While I did not work directly with their school application, once
admitted, I was responsible for creating their I-20 and tracking their residence. I signed off every
semester, verifying their arrival and attendance. I was also responsible for I-20 transfers when students
would graduate and then go to college. The attention to detail that is required for this task is immense
because you are an agent for immigration. One must know the rules regarding students that are in place
by the United States government.

One college preparation event that I was involved in was Senior Application Day. During the time that
underclassmen were testing, seniors had a morning filled with guest speakers regarding the financing of
college and application essay writing. Faculty and staff were available to assist students during this time,
to help tweak essays, ensuring that students were putting their best foot forward. Because of the variety
of responsibilities I held, students appreciated and valued the feedback that I would offer during this
event.

Another major component of this position was the planning of all things graduation, which included two
events: Baccalaureate and Graduation. I initiated and sent out all correspondence, coordinated the visits
by Jostens, scheduled the photographer, and led rehearsals. I worked with the venues and made sure
the flowers were ordered. I sent out student surveys to decide on the speakers and led the faculty
discussions for larger student awards. During the week of graduation events, I worked many additional
hours, but did it for the students. Graduation Day is the best day of the year since we acknowledge and
celebrate all of the hard work and accomplishments that the students have achieved.

I came to the college advisor position in the Spring of 2022 with a background in different educational
settings. Each position taught me more about the education system as a whole and how together they
all support each other. Now, having reached the university level, I see how each part plays an integral
role in the success of students beyond secondary education. At each level and opportunity, the
relationship was the most important thing. The relationships are what made the work meaningful. I have
also taken the opportunity to complete my Masters of Education with an emphasis in Higher Education
Leadership. For me, this has been a transformational experience and has helped me to think more
deeply about student experiences and build meaningful working relationships across campus. Here at
Weber State, as we meet students where they are, we let the student know that they are important. We
let students know that we will support them until they reach their goals. We at Weber State are great,
great, great!