"Nearly every day I am given the opportunity to serve alumni and students in my work. Whether it is serving as a listening ear or simply a place that extends care and compassion, we are able to meet students and alums where they are in an effort to meet their needs."
Open to opportunities - Brittany's career journey
Initially, Brittany was interested in HDFS because she aspired to be a Marriage & Family Therapist. Although she was fascinated with this dream, she found that it was not the career for her. Through her courses at Messiah, Brittany has learned to identify strengths in interpersonal dynamics, organization and resource management and has been able to use these learned skills in various volunteer opportunities. Prior to Brittany's role at Messiah College, she was an Income Development Representative for the American Cancer Society and was pleased with experience that she got while working with this organization. Soon after Brittany got married, she realized that working late hours in the evenings was not a sustainable position for her, and was offered the opportunity to serve as the Assistant Director of Alumni and Parent Relations at Messiah. She views this position at her alma mater as a true blessing because it allows her to focus on her areas of strength, including event planning, volunteer management and student development. Brittany has grown both personally and professionally through working at Messiah.
Working at Messiah College
Brittany oversees all events within the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations including the December Graduate Reception, Gym & Pool Night, regional events and Homecoming. She is also responsible for student engagement including Eyas, the Student Alumni Council. Every day looks a little differently from the next, but could include anything from planning meetings for an upcoming event, to sharing lunch with a student or working on a project for the office's website. The changing needs of the students and alumni from Messiah keep Brittany busy with new ways to reach out to families at Messiah, but the majority of her work focuses around building and maintaining positive relationships.
Brittany's Advice
"I have found that nearly any role requires a strength and skill in interpersonal dynamics. When you can understand communication styles, strength sets, motives, etc. then you can learn to adapt yourself to nearly any situation to succeed. Be open to opportunities that are out of the norm. Often when I inform others of my academic background, they are puzzled as to how my studies brought me here in my career. The distinct benefit of HDFS is the wide variety of skills it develops and the countless ways those skills can be developed. Use that to your advantage and be prepared to explain that truth to others!"