10 Within 10 Recognition

Majors: Psychology, English

Job title and employer: Assistant professor of management in the School of Business Administration at Oakland University.

Current city and state: Ferndale, MI

Hometown: Detroit, MI

What is your favorite memory of CMU? 

Some of my favorite memories of CMU are from my time with Leadership Camp, first as a facilitator and later co-coordinator. Sharing CMU and the Social Change Model of Leadership Development with incoming students through LCamp was a really meaningful aspect of my time on campus.

What has been your coolest moment since graduation? 

In the summer of 2015, between finishing my Ph.D. at Portland State University and starting my faculty position at Oakland University, my now-husband and I took a two-and-a-half-week cross-country road trip from Portland, Oregon, back to metro Detroit. Our stops included Glacier National Park; Yellowstone National Park; Grand Teton National Park; Arches National Park; Boulder and Fort Collins in Colorado; Austin, Texas; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Athens, Ohio. We spent the first 10 days of the trip camping in some of the most beautiful locations I've ever seen, and we got engaged during our stop at Arches National Park!

What are you proudest of?

I'm incredibly proud to be the first person in my family to graduate from college, and even prouder of taking the additional step of going to graduate school right afterward, finishing my master's in industrial and organizational psychology in 2012, and my Ph.D. in the same field in 2015.

What advice would you give to new grads? 

While it might feel like you need to have all your next steps figured out upon graduating, remember that you still have your whole life ahead of you! Now's the time to take chances, make a big move and be open to making mistakes.

What has your work life taught you?

The importance of saying no. For every new opportunity or request, you say yes to, you'll likely have to say no to something else down the road, and it's easy to quickly get overwhelmed if you say yes to everything that comes your way. You're the best judge of your own time, energy, and abilities, and saying no to things that don’t serve those will mean you have more energy to devote to the things you’re really passionate about. (This is definitely something I’m still working on myself!)

What about CMU helped you succeed?

CMU's amazing faculty, staff and wealth of campus resources made all the difference in setting me up for future success. I developed my interpersonal skills and forged long-lasting connections through my involvement with Residence Life and learned how to successfully conduct research and navigate the world of graduate school with the support of Lynn Curry and the McNair Scholars Program. My faculty mentors, Dr. Stephen Collarelli (psychology) and Jeffrey Bean (English), were also key to my success, offering support and helping me identify my passions and long-term career goals. 

Current city and state: Ferndale, MI

Current job title and employer:  Associate Professor of Management in the School of Business Administration at Oakland University