I started my career in higher education as an instructor at a community college. I had excellent mentors there, and I learned a lot in that position. One of the most important things I discovered was that evaluating academic work became much less interesting to me than supporting students as they pursued their goals. I enjoyed listening to their personal stories and learning about their struggles and successes. With that in mind, I began to work on a graduate degree in counseling.

The first job I applied for after I completed my Master's degree was a professional advising position in the Crime, Law, and Justice Department at Penn State. I've been an adviser in the College of the Liberal Arts for 20 years now, and I still find working with students to be satisfying, unpredictable, and fun. In many ways, advising students feels like the thing I was meant to do.

Having lived in both Japan and Turkey, I like learning about cultures other than my own, and I think I'll always have the travel bug. I've spent time in Greece, Spain, Hong Kong, Thailand, France, Singapore, Morocco, and Taiwan.

My husband and I have a son, and all three of us love animals. I enjoy movies, music, vegetarian cuisine (India Pavilion has amazing food), Death By Chocolate ice cream from the Creamery, and annual family vacations in Cape May, NJ.