During my time at Ursinus College, I found a passion for higher education and research thanks to the lovely faculty in the Education and History Departments! This led me to complete an honors thesis in my senior year about the history of higher education and admissions. As a first-generation college student whose academic interests fell outside my understanding of careers in education, the mentorship I received during my time at Ursinus College was very influential to my post-grad pursuits. I left Ursinus feeling more than prepared for what came next. Having graduated in May 2020, I took a year off before continuing my education. I spent this time adjacent to the field of education, where I worked as a nanny for a family to specifically help their kids navigate virtual learning. In between virtual lessons, I finalized my graduate school applications and interviewed for assistantships.

I took my passion for research to Villanova University where I earned my M.A. in Higher Education Leadership in May 2023. During my time there, I worked as a graduate research assistant in the Department of Education & Counseling. I assisted with every step of the research process and collaborated on projects ranging in focus from black student loan debt, to urban teacher recruitment, to the graduate student transition (and more!). While there I also elected to complete and defend a master’s thesis that interrogated the settler colonial history of higher education.

Currently, I work as an Admissions Counselor at Swarthmore College. In addition to reading applications and traveling to speak to high school students about the benefits of a small, residential, liberal arts college, I lead our day visits team and work closely with our tour guides and summer interns. If you would have asked me my senior year, I never would have guessed I would be working in admissions, (Dr. Mackler would not have guessed it either). What I discovered throughout my educational journey, however, is the passion for higher education that I constantly wanted to share with others. This is not a blind passion, though. I am very conscious of higher education’s systemic shortcomings, particularly when it comes to access. In my current role I am able to constantly consider the cultural positioning of higher education while also asking what the purpose of higher education should be and how we can work towards that vision.