Before coming to Penn College, I took it for granted! Most of us go about our daily lives and don't put together how important plastics are or who builds our bridges. I knew engineering in my head, but I didn't know the intricacies that went into it. I didn't realize what you could really do with a four-year degree in welding or manufacturing. I didn't realize the creativity that went into what these students were doing in senior projects, or what they do in internships, or even the amount of industry partnerships that were out there. It was years and years of learning and it became really exciting.

I love how there is a sense of community here. If you come for a visit, it's easy to see why a lot of students say it feels like home. With all the clubs and organizations, most students can find a group of friends that share their same interests.  

For me, it was just getting to know the faculty, watching them with their students, asking them questions, and building those relationships. I would show up instead of just sending emails and I always ask lots of questions. I'm pretty easy going and I feel like I'm easy to talk to. I would listen to them. I gave them that platform and, with many of them knowing me from my former position, I think they saw me as support. I already had those relationships built when I moved into this position. So it just made it that much easier.

It started with a K-12 committee. We did a lot of research and brought different audiences in to learn more about non-traditional careers. As part of the committee, I would talk to high schools and career technical centers. I would learn what they were doing to bring in more girls, because they're basically the feeder for us. So if they don't have a lot, we're not going to have a lot. And so the members of that committee tried to be very intentional with building those relationships. We also brought counselors on campus and hosted workshops about careers for women.

Women can do the work just as well. I just think they need to know more about it. Maybe they aren't introduced to these options early on or maybe they don't understand what the careers are. But their capability is far reaching and they can do the work. I mean, there's work ethic there. There's interest there.