Month: September 2019

Award Recipients

Ashley Byrd-White, NACE Rising Star Award Recipient

September 27, 2019 by 0 Comments

Ashley Byrd-White received the NACE/ Spelman Johnson Rising Star Award this year. The NACE/ Spelman Johnson Rising Star Award is given to “an individual who demonstrates strong leadership potential, and contributes to the career services profession and the NACE organization” according to the NACE website.

Ashley Byrd-White serves as the Assistant Director for Career Education in the University of South Carolina Career Center. She has been with the Career Center for 4 years initially serving as a Career Development Coach. Prior to her work in the Career Center, Ashley served the University of South Carolina students as a Leadership Coach in the Department of Student Life.

She began her professional career in residence life at the University at Buffalo. Ashley received both her Master of Education in Higher Education Administration and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University at Buffalo. She was a cohort member of 2015 SACSA New Professionals Institute and the 2019 NACE Management Leadership Institute. She presented on the Career Champion program at NACE in 2018 and NCDA in 2019. She also published an article “Creating a Culture of Collaboration with Career Champions” in the 2019 NACE Journal. 

As an Assistant Director for Career Education, Ashley works on educational efforts for both students and faculty/staff. She has created, facilitated, and assessed the Career Champion program which educates and empowers campus faculty and staff on having career conversations with students. Since the start of the Career Champion program, nearly 250 faculty/staff have gone through Level I. Ashley has continued the growth of the program by adding in a Level II and a Level III training which covers additional career development topics. In addition, she is leading the efforts on the Carolina Career Ready program that covers the NACE Core Competencies for students. She also serves as a career coach for the UofSC alumni. In addition to her regular duties, Ashley serves on the First-Generation College Student Work Team, is the Career Center liaison EAB Navigate, and routinely supports campus partners in various office initiatives.

In her free time, Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband, Chad, her very busy toddler, Oliver, and her adopted dog Charlie. In addition, she loves to flex her creativity through crafting and baking.

How did you get into the Career Services profession?

My dad went to college for the first time when I was in middle school. He got hurt on the job as a mechanic, had no college degree, but needed to do something to provide for us. He enrolled in college through the GI Bill to become a teacher. I remember typing his handwritten papers for him since I typed faster. I remember going with him to the campus bookstore to pick up his textbooks. I remember doing my homework alongside my dad at our kitchen table. However, what I remember most was who my dad was before college and who he had transformed into upon graduation. Witnessing what higher education did for my dad, for our family, is something I always hold on to.

I was never a good student in school; academic work was very difficult, but I worked hard because I was determined to follow in my dad’s footsteps. I got accepted to my alma mater on a special program because even though my grades and SAT scores were not up to par, the university saw something in me. I really thrived in college because I had so many wonderful faculty and staff there to help me and I am forever grateful for them.

My senior year internship in the University at Buffalo Career Center solidified my passion for working on a college campus and helping students better their lives. Every day is an honor and privilege to help students find where they fit in the world and provide them with guidance and tools to get there. Every day is also an opportunity to think creatively and critically about the challenges facing higher education and be innovative as we move forward. I absolutely love what I do, and I believe wholeheartedly in the power higher education has to transform lives, like it did for my dad and myself.

What advice do you have for new professionals who aspire to get more involved in the profession?

Do not be afraid to try new things and talk to new people. Some of my most memorable and rewarding professional experiences have come by getting out of my comfort zone. It is important to take some time to learn your role, your campus, your organization but then do not be afraid to think outside the box and be creative. The field of Career Services and higher education is changing rapidly, and we must adapt which means new ideas and exciting possibilities! Embrace them!

You can connect with Ashley on LinkedIn at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleybyrdwhite/

 

Conference Updates

St. Jude SoACE Team

September 20, 2019 by 0 Comments

Support #TEAMSOACE

Each year, SoACE chooses a philanthropy to sponsor in conjunction with its annual conference. This year, we have selected St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude’s Hospital is located in Memphis, TN, just a short distance from the site of our conference, the Peabody Hotel. The St. Jude Marathon also happens to fall two days before our conference begins, so SoACE has formed a fundraising team, Team SoACE, that will be raising money for St. Jude and participating in one of the races that day.

Team SoACE has committed to raising $10,000 for the children and families at St. Jude. Here are a few reasons why we are excited about this year’s philanthropy:

• Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
• Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to more than 80% since it opened more than 50 years ago. St. Jude is working to drive the overall survival rate for childhood cancer to 90%, and they won’t stop until no child dies from cancer.
• St. Jude freely shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children.

To make a donation to St. Jude on behalf of Team SoACE, please visit our team page. You’ll need to select a team member from the roster on that page to make your donation.

Interested in joining the team? Click here!

Member Spotlights

Member Spotlight: Laura Kalb

September 13, 2019 by 0 Comments

Laura serves as one of the Assistant Directors in the Office of Career Services at Trinity University, working with faculty, staff, students, employers, and community partners to identify and serve student needs as they move towards their academic and professional futures. She primarily serves the STEM academic areas for coaching and advising while assisting with Center data and assessment initiatives. As an alumna of Trinity, Laura is committed to helping students discover their individual passions and pursue opportunities for career and professional success. She sees her work as coordinating people; she does everything from helping students secure post-graduation plans to coaching professionals on how to use new technologies.

She has a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration from Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and is a Gallup-Certified Strengths coach. To bridge her interests in technology, data, and leadership, Laura serves the Chair of the Technology Knowledge Group for the Southern Association of Colleges and Employers. She serves as the alumna advisor for her social sorority, Zeta Chi, and she is the Leadership Academy Chair for the Junior League of San Antonio.

You can connect with Laura on LinkedIn and Twitter.

How did you get into the Career Services profession?

During graduate school, I took a Career Counseling course and wanted to learn more about the advising and research aspects of the profession. I was lucky enough to secure a practicum in Career Services at Nashville State Community College and then a graduate assistant position in the Office of Career & Professional Development at Belmont University.

Through those experiences and mentors, I realized that I could carry out my purpose of pouring into others so that they could go out and make the change that they want to see in our world in the career services profession.

Describe your SoACE Experience. How did you get involved and how has that experience influenced you? (feel free to elaborate on your current role or past roles)

I learned about SoACE through TACE while I was a graduate student. I jumped into my SoACE experience at the 2016 Annual Conference. I was not sure which Knowledge Group (KG) meeting to attend and one of my colleagues encouraged me to try something out that interested me, but that I had no experience in. I walked into the Technology KG meeting and the rest is SoACE history.

Since that first meeting, I have learned an incredible amount about technology in both career services and higher education. I served as the Assistant Chair for the KG and currently serve as its Chair. These wonderful leadership experiences help me carry out my passion and make me a better professional and person. By being a member of SoACE and the Technology KG, I have shaped my career interests and path through the skills and knowledge I gained.

I have also gained an amazing group of colleagues across the entire SoACE organization that I inspire me, support me, give me great questions to mull, and provide great ideas to tackle the challenges of our profession.

What advice do you have for new professionals who aspire to get more involved in the profession?

First, look for people in our profession that are doing things that excite you and ask them to chat about that project and their career. Those individuals may have been in the profession for two years or 18 years, but engaging with topics that excite can serve as a well of inspiration.

Second, set goals for your own professional development in the profession and find an accountability partner for the journey. While doing the work we love all the time is great, do not forget to take some time for yourself and the other areas of your life outside of both your work goals and personal professional development goals.

Third, find a Knowledge Group (KG) that interests you or will help you build knowledge in our profession. Then, ask the KG Chair how you can get involved. And, finally, join the SoACE Slack community! Join one channel. Join all of the channels! It is a great place to find information, conduct informal benchmarking, and connect with incredible people in our profession.

What is your favorite quote?

“This too shall pass.” While it has many beginnings and attributes, my father’s voice always rings true when I think about this quote. It serves as my reminder to remain resilient in challenging times.

What has been your greatest accomplishment to date?

My greatest accomplishment to date is making the leadership and membership of the Technology KG laugh, whether they are truly laughing or laughing out of southern politeness. It is such an honor to be trusted as their KG leader and to have the opportunity to build relationships with them while advocating for what they need in the professional development arena.

What are some of your hobbies when not working?

My hobbies include cooking (there is nothing better than making a great meal for family and friends); taking my dog, Jasper, to the dog park; trying new restaurants with friends (San Antonio restaurant week is a staple in my life); watching any of the movies in the Fast and Furious series; and learning more about CliftonStrengths and Gallup.