Why I'm Employable.
B.S. Recreation & Leisure Studies from University of North Texas in Denton, Texas
Masters of Liberal Arts from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas
Education
I have over a decade of experience in community engagement. I started my professional career in recreation and have worked more recently in higher education. I enjoy utilizing my knowledge, skills and abilities to help those in my community.
Recreation & Event Planning
I fell in love with the world of Recreation in college. I had taken a job as a Day Camp Counselor and from day one I was hooked. When camp wasn't in session I worked weekends as a Special Events Assistant hosting birthday parties and showing off my mad skate guarding skills. While in college, I interned in Destin, Florida as a Resort Coordinator. It was a great experience. We were tasked with overseeing the kid's program, teaching and selling pool side crafts and marketing and up-selling all of our programs. After I graduated with my bachelor's degree I started grad school with the goal of earning a Master's in Public Administration. I quickly learned that I did not want to work for the government and followed my heart to Disney World. I was beyond exited to be offered my dream job working for the best boss in the world. A mouse. I worked as a Professional Intern with the Resort Recreation Line of Business work group. I got paid to learn about arcades, penny press machines, boats and youth programs. It was amazing.
I left Disney World to work for the government. Shocking, I know. The city I had spent so many summer hour's working at called me home. They offered me a chance to prove myself as a Recreation Program Coordinator. In this position I was over all camps, classes, youth contracts and preschool programs. Along with the help of my supervisor Krissy, who also served as an unforgettable mentor, we put on some fantastic community-wide events. One even won us a state TRAPS award! Yay for awards!
When I wasn't knee deep in making slime or leading rousing games of Island Tag, I was managing inventory and soliciting bids, reporting cost recovery numbers, updating social media, creating and distributing marketing materials, overseeing course management procedures and delivering superior customer service. I also hired, trained, mentored, evaluated and oversaw the payroll of up to fifty seasonal staff members.
After a few years I switched cities and took a position that had me focus more on special events. What once would take me weeks of planning I could turn around and implement in days. My staff and I put on a wide variety of community events inclulding an egg hunt, a Fourth of July parade, concerts in the park and a BBQ Cook-Off. Participation ranged from a couple dozen to the thousands.
In this position I oversaw multiple budgets, website maintenance, social media, press releases and a constant contact email campaign. I also created executive summaries, reports and proposals that I presented during council meetings. Real fancy business stuff.
Higher Education
I always had aspirations of working in higher education. Much like my love for all things Disney, my love of education knows no bounds. My venture into higher ed started when my husband and I moved out to the wilds of West Texas because of his work. I was originally hired as a Recruiter for a local university. I loved it. I was able to travel to schools and events talking to students and giving them advice on how they can achieve their goals. Forming relations and making connections with the prospective students was a blast. It was also great seeing the students on campus and knowing that my effort in the recruiting process may have played a role in their choice to attend our university.
Within a few months I was promoted to the Director of Student Life. As the Director of Student Life I oversaw all campus organizations, campus activities, student space, campus security and campus housing. I oversaw the university's Honor Board and maintained student discipline files. I developed a strong familiarity with FERPA and Title IX, including Sexual Assault Prevention. I was responsible for compiling and reporting federal safety information.
I was responsible for heading many campus events including student move-in/move-out, orientation, homecoming and a variety of other seasonal events. I also taught a Student Success course to incoming freshman. I taught them about APA, study styles, time management, team work and university resources.
One of the student organizations I oversaw was the Enactus Team. I had a great time helping these students gain real world experience while putting together projects for competition. Our team was able to put on a tax seminar in Spanish to help reach an under-served population and they also put on a community job fair. Both projects had measurable results and outcomes that they were able to present in competition. The team learned valuable lessons about project management, teamwork and communication.
Working in higher education is incredibly important to me because it's not about that piece of paper, it's about working towards a goal to make your life better. The traditional college path is not for everyone. I am a firm believer in trade school, military service and other forms of vocational training. I have a passion for educating others about the options available to them and how those options can help benefit their future.