-
Middle school
In middle school, Valerie began babysitting for five families around her neighborhood. Babysitting made
Valerie realize that she enjoyed working with children. -
High school part 1
when she entered high school, she decided
to take a child development class. As a part of class, Valerie conducted the “Story Hour” for toddlers and
preschoolers once a month at the local library. -
High school part 2
Valerie enjoyed the time spent at Story Hour so much that she
continued to volunteer at the library throughout high school.
During the summer, Valerie worked as a lifeguard at her local community pool. In this job, she became
certified in CPR and First Aid, taught swim lessons and coached the swim team. -
High school part 3
In high school Valerie joined a student organization where she helped create community service projects and
fundraisers. This experience helped her develop her organization and ability to work with people. Her
involvement gave her the opportunity to attend leadership trainings which were not only fun but enhanced
her leadership skills. -
College part one
After high school, Valerie decided to pursue a degree in athletic training. Valerie was glad she took time
during her senior year in high school to become a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) because she was able to
continue this work during college. -
College part two
During college, Valerie participated in intramural sports and used her
fundraising experience to raise money for juvenile athletic foundations, a cause she was passionate about. -
Work life after college
After completing her degree, she began searching for jobs. Her education and experiences as a babysitter,
lifeguard, and CNA made her the perfect candidate for a position with an outstanding hospital. In this
position, Valerie worked with seven different high school athletic programs evaluating athletes and
developing training programs. -
Work after college part 2
Soon, Valerie started a family. After her second child was born, she decided to go from full‐time to part‐time
work to stay home with her children. Her massage therapy certification allowed her to have a flexible, part time
schedule doing massages only two days a week. Five years later, both of her children are in school and
Valerie is ready to increase her work to full‐time. Valerie found an amazing job with a university sports team.