DO-IT Staff Profile
I have had the good fortune of working for DO-IT for two years. Currently, I work as a project coordinator on three projects: DO-IT Scholars, DO-IT CAREERS for college students and recent graduates, and DO-IT's High School/High Tech program in Seattle.
I grew up in a large Midwest city. Although I enjoyed the urban life, many summer weekends were spent on my aunt's farm or my grandmother's cabin on the banks of the Mississippi River. I stayed in the Midwest throughout my college years.
In college I studied psychology and business. To make ends meet, I had a job as a camp director which was part-time during the school year and full-time in the summer. I developed the program and managed a camp staff of 27 people on 100 acres. In this position, I developed management and administrative skills in between canoe trips, hikes, campfires, and soccer games! During my junior and senior year, I also worked as a crisis intervention counselor at a local crisis center and a clinical aide at a research hospital.
After my last summer as camp director in 1995, I returned to college to pursue a master's degree in counseling, with a focus on career counseling for people with disabilities. In my final semester, I interned at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle as a vocational rehabilitation counselor for people with brain and spinal cord injuries. I decided to stay in Seattle because I love being near the water. I've always enjoyed rainy weather, and saying goodbye to those bone-chilling Midwest winters was easy.
I continued career counseling work at the largest mental health center in King County, where I spent several years helping people with disabilities access school and work. During this time, I earned a license as a mental health counselor in Washington State. My theoretical orientation is cognitive-behavioral counseling.
My personal interests include folk music, hiking, and the performing arts. I also love foreign films and traveling. I have been to many wonderful places including Peru, India, Jamaica, Thailand, Europe, and Mexico.
Working at DO-IT has been a wonderful experience. I continue to learn a great deal at conferences, by participating in DO-IT online discussions, and from co-workers, colleagues, and participants. Being a part of the DO-IT community is especially rewarding when I can help people access resources, expand their knowledge base, and solve problems.