When I was a senior in high school, I thought I wanted to be a dog groomer until the first day of spring break I did an internship and learned I was too allergic to dogs to be a dog groomer. I then had to figure out what to do with my life. My mom arranged for me to do a career assessment with someone. I was just given the results and not discussed. It said I should be a teacher or clergy. I had no desire to do either so I just saw it as a waste. Two years later, I was in college for Youth Ministry - a combination of teacher and clergy!
Youth work has been in blood since then. It has looked different over the years, but all of it has built up to give me the experiences and education to now support students both in the US and internationally in career exploration and college planning.
After working seven years at Calvin College, I worked in Tanzania as a college counselor for eight years and Thailand for one year. I assisted students in applying to schools around the world and teaching a class to help students transition better to life either back in their home countries or in a new country.
I am a member of International Association of college admission counseling.