I started at a community college and that gave me some time to really hone in on what I wanted. I was definitely interested in studio arts, but then I also was interested in people and psychology was like, “Oh, that makes sense. I'll just study the brain.” And it really was through the human development courses that I started taking a broader perspective. 

For me, it's not just about you as an individual, it's how you're shaped by the world around you, your environment, and that that's what kind of, kind of really solidified for me. Maybe it spoke to me as a person, like I could see how I was shaped by, you know, the spaces and places and people who have been a part of my life. 

I think the more I got into the studying of development, I started realizing how our systems can support or work again against our needs as people who are growing and evolving. So that bigger perspective was really important. You know, learning about my privilege and opportunities that have been presented to me and what may not have been offered to others and what should be accessible. So I think that all really started to click for me in my studies. The practicum sealed the deal. 

I actually was a Psychology major with a minor in Human Development, and at the time the practicum: Human Development 140 I was enrolled in, it changed my whole career trajectory. I had intended to work with adolescents in some form of intervention work, and what I found was in working in the lab, was that those first five years are really important, and that the quality relationships that we develop with young children can prevent the need for intervention at a later time. So certainly, the practicum shaped me. 

I came back as an intern, and then upon a graduation, I was able to be a lead teacher. And so again, that educational experience of understanding developmental theory, looking for milestones and supporting the children in my classroom with a daily occurrence. I applied that knowledge every day as I worked with children and families. I did my graduate degree through the program. I was a master's in child development, and I think what that did is it took that knowledge that I acquired as an undergraduate to a different level. Obviously, we're looking more critically at the research now, and we're creating our own projects, and so having the graduate seminars and being a part of these high level discussions really challenged me to be a critical thinker and to not only be able to digest the research, but to then look at it from a different lens. 

I think something that the graduate program always grounded me in is, you know, here's the data. What does it mean? And the applied work I do at the lab school is where I get a chance to take these controlled studies, and put it into the messy variables of real time interactions, and say, “Okay, how does this play out?” I'm able to take the research and use it, and that's something that has then translated into not only further shaping the program design or lab school in particular, but also then sharing that work with the field of early care and learning. 

The content of the courses, the theorists, the later than research that either affirmed or expanded upon - Piaget and Vygotsky and Bronfenbrenner in particular, all of that has been really applicable to the work I do every day. And I think what sets me apart in the field that I'm in and at the administrative level is that I've spent a lot of time on the floor, and that started with the practicum, I think, having an opportunity to take a lecture and then translate it into these relationships with young children and figuring out what the spectrum of development can look like, especially when we think about Bronfenbrenner, right? And this idea of direct and indirect influences, and how that might play out for different children, the experiences they have, the adults who are supporting and scaffolding that learning so Vygotsky. 

It was really foundational to have this kind of this core knowledge base to draw from, but then to have the real world connection. And that is something I think that our program does a really good job of doing is reminding students that this knowledge is important and it's what we do with it that's going to be even more meaningful.

Research is incredibly important and and where I was always focused as a graduate student, it was, “That's great. So what, what do we do with it? Good to know. Now, let's do something with this knowledge.” And so that's what I think my current work really focuses on, is doing the something, whatever that is, administrators learning about grade level Transitional Kindergarten, you have a lot of school administrators who aren't necessarily trained, or have spent a lot of time working with very young children. And so for them, helping them look at what are some realistic expectations, so that when you're designing a program and supporting a teacher, you're you're not overextending the child's abilities and therefore leading to challenging behaviors.

Think of their ability to self regulate as like a gas tank. When you deplete it, because you've put on too many demands, challenging behavior emerges, and a lot of that comes from understanding developmental, developmental milestones and how those are supported in different spaces and places.

Don’t dial it in in undergrad, don't just coach through! You have to practice. You will be required to do public speaking in small groups and large groups, and so you have to be able to do that. It's not a passive experience, graduate school is an active experience.

I think undergrad sometimes, especially in our large major, you can really move back into a passive student experience. You will need to practice doing true, annotated readings and to be able to discern text, and to pull and extract out and make meaningful connections across multiple themes. Take advantage of every opportunity, and not just be kind of like, “good enough”. There are going to be times where you have to make that decision.

Self care is great, and I think everyone should continue to do that, but also reminding yourself that your initiative will pay off for you. It's not about what the faculty or the instructor that does it for you, it's what you bring to it. So it's really about learning how to be a self starter. I think that that is something that can sometimes get lost in the undergraduate experience.

It's not always the most easy time, because it is a little bit more brutal in terms of your ego and realizing there are a lot of smart people out there. You need to be confident enough to assert yourself and your ideas. It's something you want to be passionate about. There is an intensive level of reading that's required and reflection and writing, it's not undergrad all over again. It's a whole other challenge. So that was, that’s one of the things I bring up when I counsel undergrads who are getting ready to be done. Take the time to figure out what it is that drives you, because you're going to need that to kind of be persistent and to show resilience through the challenges. 

If you don’t know who you are, that’s ok, too! But I think that that’s where you have to accept that you’re still on a journey. That first job you might accept might be a temporary job for you. Because you may see yourself loving it and then you promote up to a different position, but sometimes, you kind of have to spend some time at the beginning. Like at entry-level positions to then say “Yeah, it’s not for me.” And so if you’re still at the beginning, then embrace that part of your journey. 

I think the hardest part of that is to be financially sustained. So you might have like 3 jobs, I think, at least for me when I was a leader teacher in the past. It was a part-time position, they didn’t have full-time. I did nanny and housecleaning. I did all these things to make do, but I knew it wasn’t forever. It was the beginning of something. Sometimes, we have to start to begin. We start somewhere.

It’s hard when you’ve been trained in your mind that when you graduate you find your job and that’s it. Most of us don’t necessarily. I feel very lucky, and I think it’s unique that I’ve stayed at the same place since I graduated, and it’s because even in that place it spoke to me so deeply, but I was always looking ahead. Like when I was a lead teacher. I know I liked being a lead teacher, but I know I’m only going to this for a little while. I’m using this to help me be certain for my grad school. With grad school, after that was like I wanted to be sure. What did I need to do that? I was always looking ahead to where I wanted to be. But I don’t think it’s common to stay in the same place. And when you look at your path it might be full of twists and turns rather than a straight line. 

If you’re open to that and you use these spaces as an opportunity to grow in some way - even if it’s like “this is not the work I’m going to do but it’s going to help me with professionalism and practice my soft skills, so that when I get to my next job, I’m better more equipped and prepared.” The whole point is that it’s ok, you just have to start to begin, you have to find someway to begin, and embrace the journey you’re on. 

I know, in a perfect world, it's somebody who has a strong knowledge base and a high will to continue learning. But if I had somebody who was high skill and low will. And what I mean by that is, they're super knowledgeable, but they're like, “I'm done, I'm only going to do things this way.” That's kind of a turn off for me. I want somebody who can collaborate, who can grow, who can participate in a dynamic space. And so I'll take somebody who maybe is low skill, but high will - they're willing to learn and show initiative and to commit to the vision of our space. 

I think that anybody who is applying for jobs, you should do your due diligence and learn about the company - what is their mission and vision? Like, what are their goals? What are? What are the things that they value? So that you, A) can decide whether you match with those values. And B) you can be a more conversant candidate in an interview, you can speak to some of the things that you saw represented in the space that drew to you applying in the first place. 

To me, if somebody is honest and says, “You know, I don't know that yet, but I'm so interested, and these are some of the things I learned about your company, and these are the things I'd be willing to learn, and I put the time in for” - then I'm willing to take that risk on them.

It's so important because you need people who can do the dynamic, the critical thinking, the ability to respond, to take initiative, solve problems. To me, that is a lot more appealing than somebody who knows it all and is done... In a perfect world, you have somebody who has all that knowledge and skill and right? But yeah, that's not often the case, especially for our entry level positions. We want to people to grow. We want folks who want to stay and be in that space. 

I think as an undergrad, do as many internships as you can. Obviously, if you land the first one that you're like, “This is it? That's great.” But I think it's still also good to just kind of check out some other spaces and to be mindful of what it what's out there.

Like I said, research, research, research. Look into your programs. Don't just apply to grad schools based on the name of the school. There are some really well developed programs that are coming out of state schools. And I think sometimes we're so attached to UC, and to me, obviously I should promote UC, but I also think that there are a lot of wonderful graduate programs that may better prepare you, depending on your plan. 

Do your internships, figure out who you are, what you want to do, what your passion is, what's going to drive you right through the resilience that's required for graduate school, and then pick a program that matches your path.

When you apply to grad schools, it's less about who you were, it's about who you are and what you're going to do and how that benefits them taking you in. Like, here's what I know about your program, here's what I'm gonna contribute to and here's how I'm going to take it further, so it's kind of like selling yourself in a different way, and to do that, you have to be clear on who you are and what your path is. They want to share that you’re a good fit for them, too. 

Research, and know what you’re applying for! Go on the website, study it, learn it. Use that information. This is where AI is a friend. Do a practice interview and practice those, practice projecting confidence. It’s one of the things that’s hard to remember when you’re going through interview processes - is that it’s ok to say “That’s a great question, let me take a moment. I’m going to take through to think about my answer to make sure I give you a thoughtful response and that I get all my points across because this is important to me.” Have a strategy.

I get interview questions in advance. It’s not to me about high stakes, it’s about did you spend time thinking about the questions? Again, it’s about initiative. If somebody gives you the questions in advance, use that. You should have planned for it. That says a lot, you can tell. I’ve had some folks bring in their actual notes and that is fine, if you want to reference that - that is fine by me. Wherever they permit, do it.

I think again, it’s those things, the more you push yourself out of your comfort zone in advance of an interview - as in you practice public speaking or raising your hand in a large class - it’s less intimidating.

It’s so funny how we think that you’re supposed to be stiff and robotic. It’s more conversational. Let them get to know about you, too! When they say, “Do you have any questions?” Those should be questions geared at you to see if it’s a right fit for you. Find out what their mission is, how you can support that, what it means to you, and how you want yourself and others to grow.

I’m one of those people that feel strongly about learning from their mistakes. I’ve seen people go “oops, I did that wrong” and they don’t think about it again. You can prevent that from going wrong if you spend some time thinking about what you would do differently.

It goes along with a growth mindset. “I’m either going to get in or I’m not. I’m either qualified or I’m not.” vs. “I may not be qualified but I have a lot to offer and here are some strategies I can employ to do that.” 

I think I'm just proud of the the seeds that I played which is one of the reasons why I stayed at the lab school vs. going out into the field and being solely in the field of early grant learning, which could have been a site director somewhere else, or I could have worked for the county Office of Education. 

I feel like I have such a nice kind of a cast a wide net in terms of influence that from the children that I worked with from the very beginning as a practicum student and a lead teacher to, you know, a lecture and having 17 years worth of students and then interns, having them go out into the world, I'm very proud of them and the work that they do and the people that they are. They're advocates for children and families, and I'm proud of the lab school. 

I'm proud of the resource that we are to our region and the people that look to us for ideas, for action, we're an ever evolving place where we're never done. I'm proud of being a part of a space that values that type of work. So it's, I think that's what I'm proud of, is just pursuing and always being a lifelong learner and then sharing that with others.

That it’s short, and it goes by way too quickly. Seize the day. There's so much to be, you know, each opportunity - seize it. That includes the fun stuff, take advantage of the breaks when you can get them to.