Lauryn Artis-Woodman
M.S. Instructional Technology
Advice to newer employees thinking about graduate school:
“Just dive right in before you get too comfortable with what your time looks like. If you dive right in you’re not going to know any better. And the sooner you start, the sooner you’ll finish.”
Abby Barlok
M.A. American Studies
On how a degree that isn’t related to her position at Lehigh has impacted her professionally:
“Working with different professors has opened my eyes to what students need. It has helped me in my mentoring role with ISE students. Also, I’m not as nervous presenting. All graduate students had to present weekly in Dr. Peterson’s class. I was a mess at the beginning, but you get used to it. Now, when I have to present something in my role at Lehigh, I don’t think of it as a big deal.”
Clara Buie
M.Ed. Comparative and International Education
Advice for employees who haven’t been in school for a while:
“It’s never too late. It had been almost twenty years since I finished my bachelor’s degree when I started graduate school. I’m glad I waited to go until I found something I was really passionate about.”
Katie Guynn
Masters of Business Administration
How her study abroad experience helped her network for her job:
“I was fortunate to have the opportunity to take an immersion experience course this spring with the MBA program in the UK. Lehigh has a partnership with Nottingham University, so not only did they organize a great experience for our group, but they were really receptive to everyone's interests, so I got to tour their brand new athletics facilities. There is funding at Nottingham for student-athletes to go there, get a master’s degree and continue participating in their sport after they finish their undergraduate degree and exhaust their NCAA eligibility. Now that I’ve made that connection, I can make that partnership even better because I understand what they’re looking for in our students.”
Casey Hilferty
M.Ed. Educational Leadership
On the overlap between her studies and her work:
"Whenever we had class projects, I would choose a student-centered topic. Those projects allowed me to explore the challenges facing our students and how I could better help them achieve their educational goals. I chose electives that I felt would be most useful to me in the higher education setting. My supervisor, Jim Santanasto, is a Lehigh alumnus, so he was extremely supportive of me become a Lehigh alumna. He was always flexible if I needed to leave early for a class and understanding if I was tired on a Friday after having a class that ended at 10 the night before."
Jaclyn Jaeger
M.Ed. Educational Leadership
On what comes next:
"It's funny. I finished my last class in April and thought 'What do I do now? I guess I could start a new TV show.' I almost found myself being bored, I started thinking about starting a second master's degree. I like to have a goal to work toward, it's what drives me to the finish."
Adrienne Nenow
M.Ed. Comparative and International Education
On managing the workload:
“I would take my classes and do homework Monday through Thursday at night. I kept Friday night and Saturday open. Sunday was a homework day. By keeping Friday and Saturday nights free, I was able to continue to see my friends. It's inevitable to miss things, but you make what you can, and family and friends are understanding and supportive.”