Alumni Spotlight – Rachael Gerber

For our first Alumni Spotlight of the spring semester, we are featuring Rachael Gerber! She served as a Resident Assistant at Kerr Hall for 2 years and graduated with her Bachelor’s in Accounting in 2013. She also holds her Master’s in Accounting and joined us for a Housing Alumni Dinner this past November!

Being a part of Housing was a huge game changer for me. I learned to be comfortable with who I was, and how to communicate my own beliefs while being able to show others I was able to listen and understand theirs. For the “real world”, I learned the art of communication, understanding of how to approach wide variety of people, expanded my creativity skills, and got great interview skills (thank you for all those crazy questions, West).

After leaving housing, I worked as a lifeguard and later as a head lifeguard at the Rec Center. I also interned at two accounting firms in Dallas during college. I am now a full-time Staff at Montgomery Coscia Greilich, LLP, where communication skills, being able to mitigate awkward situations, good organization skills and multi-tasking are essential to every day.

I was a member of RLAC and represented my cluster on the Ethics & Concerns Committee during my last semester.  I really enjoyed participating in the meetings and being a representative for my cluster on the ECC. It helped prepare me to be president of Beta Alpha Psi, a student accounting organization, when I was in graduate school. Also, I had the honor of being the first RA to lead the REAL Business Community. I’m so proud to see some of my former residents now being involved in the business department.

I was heavily involved in Beta Alpha Psi as a member, candidate director, and eventual president. While president, I was a guest at UNT Accounting Advisory Board meetings and able to participate in key discussions for the department’s future.

By far some of my favorite memories are from dinners with my Kerr family. Training with everyone was always a blast. Small programs with my girls. Big programs with the hall. Snowpocalypse. Basketball games with the family. Homecoming. All of these bring smiles to my face.

I am working as a full-time tax associate at Montgomery Coscia Greilich, LLP in Plano and am almost a fully certified CPA. I still happily live in little d and love getting together with my Kerrific family on a regular basis.

Rachael joined us back at Kerr Hall in November for one of our Housing Alumni Dinners, and we had a great time hearing about her experiences as an RA and how it has impacted her life.

Rachael got to see the Kerr Family Tree of Mentors and Mentees over the past few years that was put together by a recent Kerr RA!

She even got to meet some of the KERR-ent staff and helped them put together a poster for an upcoming program.

Thank you so much to Rachael for your time, service and continuing dedication to UNT Housing. We are so happy to have you as an alumna of our department!

Ted Talks Tuesday: School Lunch Hero Day

In this short talk, Jarrett J. Krosoczka talks about reconnecting with his school lunch lady and creating a way to recognize and immortalize the service and dedication of lunch ladies everywhere. It meant so much to her that Jarrett “had acknowledged her hard work and validated what she did.”

School Lunch Hero Day is a celebration of lunch ladies and how we can celebrate them, filled with thank you cards and acts of service that go way past the lunch line.

 Superhero-themed aprons? A hamburger-shaped thank you card perhaps? Sometimes those who work on the front lines or behind the scenes can get overlooked so easily. How do you celebrate those working hard around you? 

Alumni Spotlight: Christina Hernandez

This week’s Alumni we are catching up with is Christina Hernandez, who served as a Housing Ambassador and Resident Assistant at Victory Hall and graduated from UNT in 2012! Christina was a Speech Language Pathology/Audiology major and is currently pursuing her Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology.

What skills did you gain while working in UNT housing? Communication (written and verbal), mediation skills, teamwork skills, adaptability, customer service, patience, prioritization, problem solving, leadership skills, stress maintenance, and facilitation skills!

How did you apply those skills after college? After graduating and leaving housing I decided to work in retail during my year off before going to purse my master’s degree. The patience and customer service skills I learned as an RA and HA definitely helped me at my place of employment. Being able to handle angry customers and quickly think of a customer friendly solution came naturally since I had previously done it for three years.

Currently, I’m interning for Neurodevelopmental Therapy Services. Although the population I’m working with is pediatrics, I send a lot of emails to parents, therefore my written communication skills I learned as an HA has helped tremendously. Also, being able to make the children I work with feel comfortable and confide in me is a skill I needed to do as an RA with residents.

What else were you involved in at UNT? LEAD League, Kappa Kappa Gamma, National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association, Intramurals

What are some of your favorite memories from housing? My favorite memories from housing include Victory Hall winning the overall softball championship, all of the housing banquets, all of our staff meetings at victory (always had a good laugh), building a close relationship with my mentor and other fellow RA’s when I was a rookie (still best friends with a handful). One of our RA’s handmade an elephant and we called it “desk elephant” so we had it sit with us whenever we worked desk; however our assistant hall director hated it, but our hall director loved it!

What are you up to now? Currently, I just moved from Kingsville, Texas where I lived for a year pursing my master’s degree in speech-language pathology. I am now living in Houston, Texas interning at a pediatric clinic doing speech therapy. I am still enrolled through A&M-Kingsville, however since I am done with classes I was able to move away from Kingsville and finish up my internships before I graduate this May. Also, I am currently preparing for my study abroad trip to Belize in December. Belize does not currently have speech pathologists. Therefore, a group of 12 students will be traveling to work with special needs children and train the teacher on various techniques they can use inside the classroom.

Thank you to Christina for sharing some of her housing experiences with us and for your service to our department! Have a great time in Belize!

Women Leader Wednesday: Maysoon Zayid

This WLW we are highlighting Maysoon Zayid, an actress, comedian and advocate for disability rights.

Maysoon Zayid was born in 1974 in Cliffside Park, New Jersey which remains her home to this day. She received her BFA from Arizona State University where she received a full-ride scholarship. She has described herself as “a Palestinian Muslim virgin with cerebral palsy, from New Jersey, who is an actress, comedian and activist.” Maysoon’s material is chiefly about her family, global culture, and her life with cerebral palsy. In her stand-up sets she utilizes humor to illustrate the different ways her family tried to “cure” her disability, such as dance classes or a dunk in the Dead Sea, but maintains that her family was her biggest supporter.

Despite obstacles she faced early on in life, she always knew she wanted to be a performer, particularly on soap operas. When she realized that producers and directors were reacting to her and casting her in a certain way as a female, ethnic minority with a disability, she set out to use humor to tell her story and to finally find her stage. The following TED Talk illustrates her hilarious approach at embracing her identities.

She is the co-founder and co-executive producer of the New York Arab American Comedy Festival which she founded with Dean Obeidallah to showcase the talents of Arab-American actors, comics, playwrights and filmmakers, and challenge as well as inspire our fellow Arab-Americans to create outstanding works of comedy. Maysoon has appeared on Comedy Central’s The Watch List, CNN, HBO, As The World Turns, Law & Order, MTV, and 20/20. Most importantly, she weaves human rights and disability rights into her stand-up and her regular commentating on shows such as Countdown with Keith Olbermann.

Beyond her role as a champion for the visibility of Arabs in entertainment, Maysoon is an advocate for disability rights. She states that people with disabilities are the largest minority in the world and they are the most under-represented in entertainment. Maysoon founded Maysoon’s Kids in April 2001 to address the needs of the growing population of disabled children in Palestine. The program provides art and wellness programs, eye exams, basic necessities for orphans, and they have partnered with Playgrounds for Palestine to provide playgrounds for differently-abled children. They recently began their first college scholarship fund, as well. Check out Maysoon’s Kid’s here. http://maysoon.com/pages/maysoonskids

Maysoon is a woman leader because she sees the possibility in the impossible. This is a quality that we can learn to find in any of our roles. One might be presented with a challenge or difficult situation but actively trying to find alternative solutions can prove to be the best avenue in the long run. Maysoon did not take no for an answer when she received resistance and instead took every part of who she is and lead by example by not only achieving her goals but being a servant leader along the way.

Ted Talks Tuesday: Opportunity Makers

A columnist for Forbes, Kare Anderson talks on everyone’s ability to take their own talents and not just focus on what we can do but how we are capable of doing it.  As a department we strive to better all that we come in contact with from residents, to parents, to coworkers and everyone in between. Understanding that “you are the best something” will allow you to find your niche and establish an opportunity for someone. Opportunities ranging from answering questions to building a lasting relationship. Being the opportunity maker, regardless of how tough the situation, makes us the servant leadership driven department that we strive to be.

#FlashbackFriday

In this Flashback Friday, we glimpse back at West Hall in 1987 at the Homecoming bonfire. 27 years ago, we still see the same level of school spirit and hall pride. Go Mean Green! See more flashbacks in the UNT yearbooks here!

Alumni Spotlight: Lori Burns

For this Alumni Spotlight, we are catching up with Lori Burns! Lori received both of her degrees from UNT, in RTVF and Higher Education. While working in UNT housing (for 9 years, in various capacities) she served as an officer in the West Hall Association, a Resident Assistant, Special Assistant, Assistant Hall Director and Hall Director. She worked at Kerr and West during that time and now we are seeing what she is up to now!

What skills did you gain while working in UNT housing? I learned so much working for University Housing. I learned how to be an effective leader and supervisor through my various roles on campus. As the Special Assistant for Programming I learned the importance of time management and developed a number of administrative skills by tracking programs for the department, helping to execute various conferences by assisting with registration and assisting with a number of fundraisers for RHA. As a Hall Director I learned how to be an effective supervisor for both full-time and part-time employees and what it means to be responsible for a facility. All of my various positions also taught me that things aren’t always black and white. I learned the importance of considering all angles of a situation to reach the best solution.

How did you apply those skills after college? The skills I learned in my positions at UNT really helped me to be an effective Area Coordinator when I moved to Georgia College. As I have advanced in housing my scope has become more broad but having first-hand knowledge of various housing positions has helped me to help others acclimate to their new roles.

Picture includes: Dennis and Christine Hall, Eugene Frier, Amanda and Derek Gates, Addison Gates and Ben and Dalena Taylor

What experience do you have with our housing organizations? For 3 years I had the pleasure of co-advising RHA with two of my best friends. I learned a lot during my years of advising. I learned how to work with students and guide them to become better leaders. I learned how to challenge students and push them out of their comfort zones. On a more practical note, I was able to work with students and teach them how to plan and implement large scale programs. Some of my fondest memories are from my years as a hall association member and advisor.

I was a member of hall association and RHA as an undergrad, advised RHA as a grad student, was a member of NRHH during my undergrad and supported the organization as a professional. As a professional staff member I had the opportunity to serve on a number of committees both for housing and the university. I also had the opportunity to co-teach an Exploring Majors and Careers class for Undergraduate Studies. Teaching the class gave me firsthand experience in the classroom as well as the opportunity to academically advise eight to ten students. Getting the opportunity to know more about the academic side of things was a great asset to have.

Favorite memories? There are too many to list, but I’ll try. Working for housing gave me the opportunity to build a great extended family that I hold near and dear to my heart.

As a student my favorite memories revolve around a group of guys from West Hall known as “The Family.” This group of guys really made living at West an experience to remember. Andrew Acker, one member of The Family, was the first to push me to get involved with hall association. Had he not asked me to join, there’s no telling where I’d be now.

My favorite memories as an RA all have the common thread of either the West front desk or the West cafeteria. I couldn’t even begin to calculate the number of hours spent in those two locations with fellow staff members laughing and talking about ridiculous things. One summer me and my wing dog, Temple Latimer, helped our CDs remodel the lobby. While it was hard work it was a lot of fun.

My years as an SA were definitely my favorite! During that time I made some of the best friends I will ever have. Sarah Mathis (now Nowery), Ben Taylor, Derek Gates, Lisa Kelsey and Bill Rose and many others really helped make those years special. In my own little way, I got to live out my favorite TV show, Friends. For three years I lived across the hall from Ben at College Inn and worked with an amazing group of people who in some way or another embodied someone from the show.

Pictures include: Derek Gates, Ben Taylor, Sarah Mathis, Lisa Kelsey, Eric Lockett, Bill Rose and Jon Bartlett

It was also during the SA years that we formed the award winning chili cook-off team, The Hot Pickle! I think we’re still surprised that what we thought would be a one-time thing turned into a lasting tradition that has resulted in two 1st place wins!

Pictures include: Derek Gates, Ben Taylor, Sarah Mathis, Lisa Kelsey, Bill Rose, Matt Lester and Hope Garcia

While I was one of the AHDs at Kerr we had the opportunity to take a staff camping trip to the Ozarks. It was one of the most challenging experiences of my life and it really brought us closer as a staff. I also have great memories of working with the other AHD, Andrew Rogers. We had a lot of fun keeping each other entertained in the office with crazy antics that may or may not have involved karate kicking trash cans.

As a hall director at West I spent three and a half years making amazing memories with each RA staff I had the honor of supervising. One of my favorite memories as a hall director has to be the time that after a fire drill one of my RAs, Stephen Baker, was saying how hungry he was because he didn’t make it back to the hall before the cafeteria closed. I mentioned that I could make him a grilled cheese sandwich if he wanted and he happily took me up on the offer. Other RAs overheard and asked if they could have one too. Little did I know that at the time I was starting what would become a fire drill tradition. From that day on after every fire drill I would invite the entire staff back to my apartment and make them grilled cheese sandwiches.

Just a few staff pics from over the years.

West Hall will always hold such a special place in my heart. It’s where I started and ended my time at UNT and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. As far as I know the “Welcome to West Hall “ sign I made with Temple during our RA days still hangs in the lobby. (It’s still there!)

My last day in West Hall.

I also share many great memories with my fellow HDs and mid-level staff I had the pleasure to work with. Hall director retreats, homecoming bonfires and activities, Thursday morning staff meetings, geek lunches, committee meetings, the list goes on and on.

Working RHA Homecoming giveaways with Mandi Carey, Tracy and Eugene Frier.

One of my fondest memories will always be my going away party (or roast for those from the olden days) that was held in the lobby of West. Having the opportunity to be surrounded by my family and friends I made over the years at UNT and to hear their favorite memories that we shared will be an experience I will treasure forever.

What are you up to now? I left UNT to continue my advancement in the housing field. In 2011 I moved to Milledgeville, GA and became an Area Coordinator at Georgia College. In 2013 I became the Associate Director of Student Development for University Housing. While I have been fortunate enough to conquer two new positions since leaving UNT I know that I still have a lot to learn. I learn something new every day and each position I’ve held has helped to prepare me for the next one ahead. I can’t wait to see what else my current position will bring into my life, but I know I’m ready for the challenges and lessons that lie ahead of me.

My first move in day at Georgia College!

Staff retreat with the Community Directors and Student Leadership team!

Do you have any advice for current housing staff members? If I could offer any advice to current staff members, it would be to take advantage of every opportunity you’re given. If you’re asked to be on a committee, do it. If you have a chance to serve as an executive board member for a student organization, do it. When presented with something you don’t necessarily agree with, ask questions and seek to understand. And most importantly, treasure the relationships you build during your time in housing, whether it be with residents, fellow staff members or those in more administrative positions. Invest in others and learn everything you can from them. Hopefully you’ll be as lucky as I was to find the friendships that will last a lifetime and the experiences to be able to face whatever life throws at you.

Thank you so much to Lori for sharing so many amazing memories and moments with us. You truly have made an impact on UNT housing and we are so grateful for your service and dedication to residence life!

Women Leader Wednesday: Helene Gayle

This Woman Leader Wednesday we are focusing on Helene Gayle, M.D., M.P.H., president and CEO of CARE International, a leading humanitarian aid organization fighting global poverty.

“I always knew that I wanted to do the most that I could for the most people.”

Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, she received her B.A. from Barnard College of Columbia University, her M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and her M.P.H. from Johns Hopkins University.

Helene D. Gayle is president and CEO of CARE USA, a leading international humanitarian organization with approximately 10,000 staff whose poverty fighting programs have reached 82 million people in 87 countries. Before joining CARE USA, Helene completed her residency in pediatric medicine at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., directed the HIV, TB, and Reproductive Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and spent 20 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), focusing primarily on HIV/AIDS.

Since joining CARE USA in 2006, Gayle has led efforts to reinforce CARE’s commitment to empowering girls and women to bring lasting change to poor communities.

Under her leadership, CARE USA has done the following…

Introduced three signature programs as part of its Pathway to Empowerment:

• Mothers Matter focusing on child and maternal health, seeking to improve access to safe pregnancy and delivery services for 30 million women in Africa, Asia, and Latin America by 2015.
• Power Within focusing on girls’ education, seeking to empower 10 million girls around the world to access quality primary education and gain leadership skills by 2015.
• Access Africa focuses on microfinancing, seeking to ensure that 30 million people in 39 countries have access to a set of basic financial services by the next decade.

When Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines in November 2013 CARE was on the ground within days providing food, shelter and supplies. Within three months the anti-poverty organization had raised $20 million toward assisting the storm ravaged nation and within six months had helped 300,000 people.

She has been called one of the top female leaders and global thinkers in the world by Foreign Policy magazine and one of the top 10 Women in Leadership by Newsweek. As of 2014, she is listed as the 78th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes, among her numerous accolades.

Why is Dr. Helene Gayle a woman leader? She continues to champion for those less fortunate by utilizing her experience and training to fight poverty and control disease. She recognizes that women and girls around the globe are marginalized in their everyday lives and works to change their lives by introducing access to opportunity.

Ted Talks Tuesday: Science – Let’s Get to the Point

In this Ted Talk by Tyler DeWitt, he speaks to the importance of communicating science in a way that is understandable and interesting, rather than overloading students with details that are not as important and that will not help them comprehend the point of the lesson. “Maybe they took notes or they memorized definitions from the textbook, but not one of them really understood the main ideas. Not one of them could tell me why this stuff is so cool, why it is so important,” regarding his 13 year old students and their lack of enthusiasm about bacteria and viruses. Tyler uses stories, songs, and interesting visuals to teach his students what they really need to know about science.

In one of his final points, Tyler says, “Good storytelling is all about emotional connection. We have to convince our audience that what we are talking about matters.” In residence life, we learn something new every day, which means the things we are teaching and sharing with our students, residents, staff and colleagues is always new as well. And when we hear the same thing said by two different people, we are really hearing two different things. Are we just reading off a bunch of scripts and assuming that we are making the connection with our students, or are we really taking the time to share what matters with them?

Watch more Ted Talk videos at ted.com!

#FlashbackFriday

In this week’s #FlashbackFriday, we take a look back into one of the many fun housing banquets our departments hosts every semester! It’s a good feeling knowing that even 10 years ago, our housing family was just as… interesting… as we are now 🙂 Read more about UNT back in 2004 here!

Happy Halloween, everyone!