Marquette.edu // Trinity Fellows //
Graduate Program: Educational Policy and Foundations
Undergraduate Degree, Institution: BA Elementary Education and Human Development, Boston College
Trinity Nonprofit Agency: Adult Learning Center, Transition Specialist
I served through the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Sacramento, CA from 2007-2008. I lived within a community of seven people while serving as a combined third and fourth grade classroom teacher at a small local Catholic school in south Sacramento. While there, I planned and taught lessons across all subject areas for a class of 16 students. It was wonderful to be a part of such a welcoming school community where I got to know the students and their families well. For the summer months, I served at Women’s Empowerment, a nonprofit for women who have experiences domestic violence. There I assisted with some administrative duties as well as coordinated a summer camp program for children of the women.
For me, the Trinity Fellowship experience has been all about the power of relationships. I am so inspired and grateful for my cohort, for each of them is such a talented individual who I am glad to now call a friend. Additionally, prior to working at the Adult Learning Center, my Trinity placement, I considered myself a person who was good with names. But then, I was faced with 150+ students, over 100 volunteer tutors, community partners, and our internal staff. And I had contact with them all! It’s been truly amazing to establish these connections and get to know them (and their names!) on a personal level. This is what has made the work as Transition Specialist at the ALC amazing. In this role, I supported students by organizing workshops on job readiness and soft skills development, maintained community partnerships, managed volunteer tutor information and communications, and performed many other general administrative duties to support Center operations.
I completed my graduate degree in Educational Policy & Foundations and found the professors and course content to be thought-provoking and stimulating. I certainly developed my abilities to challenge my own and others’ thinking when confronted with issues facing our nation’s educational system and the needs of leaders in these arenas. It was wonderful (and often intimidating) to engage with conversations with other Master’s students as well as PhD candidates who had so much to offer!
I’ve fallen in love with Milwaukee and am excited to begin a job with Goodwill Industries as a Workforce Development Educator!
Educator - Workforce Development, Goodwill Industries.
Carolyn Swabek, Director (414) 288-0637 carolyn.swabek@marquette.edu
Alisha Klapps Balistreri, Assistant Director (414) 288-0260 alisha.klapps@marquette.edu
Peggy Mead, Program Assistant (414) 288-5473 peggy.mead@marquette.edu