Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Tell me about your current role at Yale University?
I currently work as a Program Manager at the Office of Student Life within the Yale College Dean’s Office.
What are your main responsibilities?
I work in some capacity with the Office of Student Affairs by coordinating what used to be known as pre-orientation programs, which is changing this year. Additionally, I assist with testing compliance and community compact violation, making sure students were tested, and if not, conducting outreach to get them back on track. I also work closely with the Office of Student Engagement on a day-to-day basis, assisting the cultural centers in their daily financial transactions, assisting with centralized projects, reviewing transactions, working closely with the Business Office to ensure adherence to institutional policies and regulations, creating financial reports, etc. I also assist with office management to some degree.
What do you like most about your work?
The multifaceted opportunity and the visibility that this position has and continues to afford me. I began working at Yale during the pandemic. However, I have had the opportunity to work with so many great campus partners from CIPE to OISS, to Yale Farm, to YC&E, to the residential colleges, and even external partners. Now that we are somewhat back in person, I would often walk around campus and see people whose faces and names I’ve become familiar with on screens for the past 1.5 years, so I haven’t felt siloed. Additionally, working closely with all four cultural centers gives me so much joy. My background and area of interest is working with people of color. I may not be at the forefront of doing that right now, and being in the background providing support might be new for me, but I have enjoyed doing so, as it helps me better understand the amount of work that goes into what the centers do on their day-to-day activities, and what it takes to run the centers. They provide so much support to our students of color.
How does your job affect your general lifestyle?
There are times of heightened pressure, such as during orientation and tracking covid noncompliance when I first joined Yale. However, for the most part, I’ve been able to find a balance between work and personal life. So far, I am doing what I love. For me, it is new being in a background supporting role, but it’s been a great learning experience.
How did you begin your career?
I began my career in the military when I joined right after college working as a 92Yankee. The military has been the only time that I have worked outside of academia – right from my undergraduate days, all of my jobs have been at a university. I worked for stacks maintenance at the library, as well as the department of political science, and the graduate school while in college. Professionally, I transitioned into international admissions and advising/coaching before my current support role.
What steps would you recommend one take to prepare to enter this field?
My path just seemed to naturally lead to where I am now. I never really thought or pre-planned to work in academia. I always wanted to work for an NGO or an IGO, however, I believe my love for working with students of color got me here. Ultimately it may not have been the path I intended to take, but it still worked out for me, so I would say versatility. Oftentimes, we get too comfortable in what seems familiar, and the thought of venturing out becomes cumbersome. I’d encourage anyone seeking to enter (any) professional field to have an open mind, seek growth, development, and learning opportunities at all times. This is key in any given profession.
What skills, abilities, and personal attributes are essential to success in your job/this field?
Certainly, the ability to be versatile and openminded. Being organized and able to multitask – not just having one’s hands in several things but setting goals and prioritizing. As a previous academic coach, these are the things I encouraged my students to do, which I am also implementing in my private life. I am a big picture person generally, and this is forcing me to pay attention to the little, intrinsic details; this is an area of growth for me as well.
If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? If not, what would you change?
Yes, I would do it all over again because I see these steps, this position, leading me to where I want to be. My ultimate goal is to make direct impact in the lives of students. I grew up in Nigeria and moved to the US as a teenager. My culture is who I am, and I never lose sight of where I came from and the struggles of assimilating. I learn new things every single day about being here as a person of color. I think that’s where my passion for working with underrepresented students comes from. Moving to the US was, is, a culture shock for a lot of us. I came with my parents, so I had support, but many students come here when they are young and try to adjust while also maintaining good academic standards. Seeing how difficult it was for me to adjust grew my passion for wanting to work directly with students in their transitions and adjustments. Joining the military made me step out of my comfort zone, but I would not have changed that path. I am grateful for the perspectives and growth it brought me. I would do that all over again. I enjoy what I do and there are various paths to achieving one’s goal. Along the way one must gain knowledge and broaden one’s vision. That’s what these positions and experiences are doing for me. I see my current position as an opportunity to learn and grow in the skills that I need to get me to where I want to be. I would take the same path. I don’t know that I would change anything really, because I see every opportunity as a learning opportunity.
What does YVN mean to you and how have you contributed as a member of the Steering Committee?
I am fairly new to YVN, but what I have seen is that they provide support. This is the first institution I’ve worked at with an affinity group for Veteran employees. I think it is highly appreciated. I look forward to learning more about the community that it strives to sustain here at Yale, and to see how I could contribute in my own little way to the attainment of that goal.
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