News From Sociology Alumni
If you are an alum or if you're about to graduate, we'd like to hear from you. What are you doing, or planning to do? And what words of wisdom do you have for students who are about to graduate? Stories of any length! Send to: Linda Clark
Short news items
See Features for longer stories
Jen Armstrong (B.A. Sociology-Psychology, Fall 2001) is working at Northwest Prostate Institute in Seattle as the office manager and an assistant Clinical Research Coordinator.
Daniel Ewart (B.A. Sociology, 1999) Senior executive editor for the Baylor Law Review. Chooses which articles are going to be published or rejected; sorts through 20 to 50 articles per week that get sent in. Believes the position is worth the extra work.
Randy Gainey (MA Sociology, 1987) Received tenure at Old Dominion.
Brian Goesling (BA Sociology 1998) is in the PhD program at Pennsylvania State University. His MA thesis is now published: Changing income inequalities within and between nations: New evidence; Brian Goesling; American Sociological Review, Albany; Oct 2001; Vol. 66, Iss. 5; pg. 745
Michael Harrison (B.A. Sociology) Running his own business, diversified systems (home and small business networking), and studying networking technology to earn industry standardized certificates--preparing for a job on the internet.
Michelle Hosford (B.A. Sociology, Winter 2002) entered the University of Washington MSW program starting Fall 02.
Beck Iben (B.A. Sociology) is working at the Bellingham Athletic Club. "I pretty much run the place in the evenings and work in the business office during the afternoon. I have really taken an interest in fitness and am thinking about taking an Anatomy and Physiology class at WCC. Then I hope to get my personal trainer's certification."
Karen Linde (B.A. Sociology-Psychology, Winter 2002) intends to finish her master's degree at Trinity Western University in BC, Canada in counseling psychology, then work as a middle school counselor.
Sarah Michaelson (B.A. Sociology, Winter 2002) will be staying in Bellingham and working at Cascade Vocational Services.
Steve Nelson (B.A. Sociology, 1970) went on to get his Masters and PhD in educational research from the Ohio State University. He has been working for over 30 years as a researcher and evaluator at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory in Portland.
Carolyn Quist (B.A. Sociology, Spring 2002) is working at the Martin Center as a substitute residential treatment provider. also does extra work for Catholic Community Services as a Crisis Stabilization Aide. She is continuing to search for a more full time position.
Renee Redekop is employed full time in the Special Events Department at Western Washington University. Here is a note from Renee: Upon graduation this last Spring 2007 with a major in Sociology and minor in Journalism, I wondered how I would ever choose a profession—everything is social and every career involves sociological interactions. However, when I saw the Western job opening in the Special Events department, I knew it’d be a chance to incorporate both my areas of study into one job. I use the skills I acquired in my Western courses in each decision I make. When guests RSVP for a reception or leave messages explaining why they cannot attend, I am continuously analyzing our interactions and keeping social order smooth and accurate. Sometimes I speak with strangers when scheduling a floral delivery or a 200-count “I Heart WWU” pin pickup. Why is it that when gender, race, age, demography, and physical appearance are unknown that those strangers are the easiest to speak with?! We use statistics (% will attend event) and data from past events to determine how many hors d'oeuvres and fruit plates to order. Looking back at previous years’ attendee lists helps tremendously as we estimate the reception size and meal preference. We can count on an average of 10% being vegetarian and 3% gluten-intolerant. Without these common trends and statistics, guests could show up and leave hungry! Using specific sociological theories and applications while working in the Special Events office has enabled me to maintain the social norm for a positive interaction within our small (3 person) office. I was blessed to have such a well-rounded educational experience here at Western and even more blessed to have been hired on as a permanent, full time employee. Can you tell I just didn’t want to leave?! We all use sociology in our daily lives; I was fortunate enough to have professors really break down what that broad word means and allow me to fully appreciate its value within occupational success.
Features
Chris Albrecht
Tory Allen-Potter
Kim Blair
Laura Cheifetz
Wade Cole
Eileen Cummings
Symone Edwards
Brigitte Gordon-Jorgeson
Sarah Jaffe
Laura Martin
Joan Naymark
Melanie Russell Hulbert
Chris Salazar
Sharon Schmidtz
Kathy Shireman
Katherine Stewart
David Swanson
Katie Walker
Merina Warnstadt
Patricia Wieland
Chris Wood
Chris Albrecht graduated with a Master of Arts degree in Sociology in Winter, 2000. Mr. Albrecht presented the results of his master thesis at the Sociology Scholars Week Program, May 2000. Chris is a Research Analyst III with the Labor Market & Economic Analysis (LMEA), Employment Security Department, State of Washington. His work involves the development of tools to assess reemployment training services; performance measures of unemployment offices; and analysis of welfare recipients.
Tory Allen-Potter received her Bachelors in Sociology in Spring 1999. Currently she is working at Brigid Collins in Bellingham. Brigid Collins is a nonprofit organization committed to strengthening families in Whatcom County. Tory coordinates the Parents Helping Parents support groups for families in Whatcom county. There are currently four ongoing support groups. The goal of the support groups is to help parents improve their relationships with their children.
There are internship positions available for Western students who are interested in gaining hands on experience in the areas of client interactions, outreach, program planning and implementation. Interns will gain a broad range of experience in a variety of activities related to non-profit organizations and child abuse prevention. Interns may select from one of the following tracks: 1) Parents Helping Parents, 2) Healthy Families, 3) Child Sexual Assault Group Therapy, 4) Foster Parent Association Partnership.
Kim Blair received her Bachelor of Arts in early 1998 in Sociology-Psychology. She now works at the Homeless Education Liaison for a school district in Colorado. In this position, she is responsible for ensuring that the school district follows the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act as it applies to the education of homeless children and youth. She helps students and families remove barriers in their access to and success in school (PreK-12th grade). This includes after school programs, providing transportation to their home schools, an elementary summer school program, staff training, working with community agencies such as shelters and transitional housing, making home visits, providing information and resources to families, a school supply program, and any other services that support students who are homeless. Kim also works part time as a Youth Advocate with students in an adolescent day treatment program. In this position, she acts as a mentor to three different students and they do fun activities in the evenings and on weekends to provide extra support and another safe adult in their lives.
Kim is also seeking admission to a graduate program for the coming year. It is her hope to complete graduate studies in the Student Affairs/Personnel area so she can work with at risk students in a higher education setting to remove barriers for their success. She has learned in her current position that the processing of entering a higher learning institution for students who are homeless is complex and time consuming, as the financial aid barrier creates an almost impossible situation for those surviving on their own but not yet 23 years of age.
Laura Cheifetz received her B.A. in Sociology in Spring 2000. She was our outstanding graduating senior for 1999-2000! Her plans upon graduation were to move to California for the summer, take “time out” to work and volunteer for a year or two, then go on to graduate level education. Laura’s mission is to subvert “the system” by challenging and changing patriarchal, racist and heterosexist structures and mores (Unrealistic, but we all have dreams).
While at Western Laura was most interested in the sociology of education and stratification. Her senior thesis was on language rights. She was a T.A. for Asian American Experience through American Cultural Studies, and a T.A. for Intro to Women Studies. She found being a T.A. challenging and interesting. She worked part-time for University Residences as an administrative assistant to a resident director, and she was on the Coordinating Committee of the National Network of Presbyterian College Women (NNPCW)
Laura has been working this past year as the Gender Justice Program Coordinator at the Presbyterian United Nations Office, part of the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program of the Presbyterian Church (USA). She has been the point person for Peacemaking, working on the UN World Conference Again Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance, doing resource development and advocacy, and facilitating PC (USA) participation in the World Conference process. She will attend the World Conference as a delegate with the World Council of Churches. She was a WCC delegate to the 2nd Preparatory Committee meeting in Geneva in May as well, and attended the NGO Forum for Diversity and Pluralism in Quito, Ecuador in March with the WCC and the PC (USA). As of September, she will move to Chicago to begin the Masters of divinity program at McCormick Theological Seminary, which is a Presbyterian seminary.
Laura's advice for undergraduates still in school:
- When life and school and everything else gets discouraging, don’t give up! This too shall pass.
- An education is nothing without community; most learning happens outside of the classroom.
- Be true to yourself and your values (and be good to yourself!), for a burnt-out value-less person is of no use.
Wade Cole graduated from Western in 2000 with a minor in sociology. He attended graduate school at Stanford University and received a Ph.D. in sociology in 2006. (The senior thesis he wrote under Karen Bradley’s advisement served as the basis for his doctoral dissertation.) Wade spent the past two years in Olympia studying education policy at the Washington State Institute for Public Policy, a nonpartisan organization that conducts policy-relevant research for the state legislature. In August 2008 he begins a
new job as assistant professor of sociology at Montana State University.
Symone Edwards graduated with a double major in Sociology-Psychology and Anthropology in Spring 00. She's working for JustServe Americorps in Seattle. This is a shelter serving homeless women and children, many of whom have experienced domestic violence, as a children's advocate. She primarily works with the teen moms, but also has contact with all other age groups. She really loves the experience she's getting there, and hopes to do something similar when her position ends in August 01. She debates about whether she'll go back to graduate school, but knows that she wants to travel, so that is what she will focus on after she's finished with Americorps.
Brigitte Gordon-Jorgeson graduated from WWU in March, 1997 with a double major in Anthropology/Sociology... "I returned to college in 1993 after raising a family -- so I guess that makes me a "non-traditional" student. Much better than "older" student! While pursuing my BA I also worked for Social Security in Bellingham, WA, as a "Stay-In-School". This is a special program funded by the federal government. I was allowed to work no more than 20 hrs. a week and attend school on a full time basis. My work schedule was planned around my class schedule every quarter. Not only was I getting a pay check every two weeks, I was learning new job skills -- and earning sick/annual leave time. After my second year as a "Stay-In-School" I was given the opportunity to move up to the "Co-Op Student" program. This allowed me to still work my 20 hrs per week while attending WWU, but after graduation I was guaranteed a full-time position. After graduation Social Security sent me to Seattle for 8 weeks of training as a Service Representative. These are the people who work the front "line" so to speak -- the first people you talk to when visiting SSA. My responsibilities included interpretation of SSA law and policy so that I could give complete and correct information to the public visiting the office. After 8 months I was promoted to Claims Representative. My new position included interviewing and assisting individuals with their disability claims. I worked with the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, which is a program fielded by the federal government for individuals who are unable to work due to a disability. SSI is a needs based program -- a "welfare" program managed by the federal government. Individuals who qualify for this program are either disabled or blind, have no assets worth over $2000, and are unable to work or work under limited conditions. As a case manager I was responsible for the alphabet breakdown S-Z. The work is rewarding when you are able to close a case into pay, and disappointing when you are not. In September, 2001 I was promoted and transferred to Baltimore, MD where the central office for SSA is located. I am now a Program Analyst working in the division of enumeration and policy systems.
I recommend that all students pursue a career with the federal government. Several branches are represented at the Career Fair. I know that Social Security has had a booth in the past. The opportunities are endless, the work is very stimulating, and the feeling of pride in your work when a change you proposed is put into place is worth more than words can say! We have all heard the phrase, "Typical government worker..." -- we are only as typical as we believe ourselves to be. I am surrounded by people who give 150% plus everyday just to make a difference in one person's life. And for me that is success. I am proud to be a part of this team! In April I start my graduate work at Towson University in Baltimore. I will be pursuing an MA in Women's Studies."
Sarah Jaffe, graduated in August 2001. She is in Israel (for 5 months) working as a counselor for 30 15-17 year old boys and girls who are studying abroad for this time. "The students learn about the history of Israel with a hands on experience. When they are learning about a piece of history they are taken to that very place to hike and learn. If there was a war in that place, the students will enact what happened there. After I return from this amazing adventure I plan to take a few more months off then return to school to get my masters in education."
Laura Martin graduated with a Sociology/Psychology degree in Spring 00, and currently she's working as a Teen Court Coordinator in the diversion program at Northwest Youth Services in Bellingham. Here's a letter from Laura with advice for students majoring in sociology:
I meet with first and second time misdemeanor offenders (ages 8-18) and their families. I either assign consequences at intake or assign them to Teen Court (youth court in which defendants are judged by their peers), or to a Community Accountability Board (a panel of 3-5 volunteers who meet with families and assign consequences). Words of wisdom for students soon graduating: Be proud of your choice of earning a Sociology degree. It is annoying when people ask why you want a degree in Sociology when there is no money in it. Believe me, we chose this route for a reason, and helping people is our ultimate goal, not making a lot of money. What you get from your experience is more than any dollar amount you will ever earn. My other advice is doing informational meetings with people in the field you are interested in. I knew I wanted to be an advocate but wasn't completely clear in what capacity until I talked to people in a variety of fields. Do this before you graduate and try to have a clear concept as to what you want to do. You might want to try volunteering in a field you are interested in. Best to know now what you DON'T want to do, rather than going through the process of interviewing, getting a job, and not liking it. Only apply for jobs in the field you are interested in. Do not randomly apply for positions. If you are focused, you will find what you are looking for.
Joan Naymark received BS and MA degrees in 1975 and 1978 from the Sociology Department. Her concentration was demography while at Western, and she's been involved in applied demographic research for her entire career. She has worked at Target Corporation for 19 years, following two years at a non-profit and two years at the MN Office of State Demographer. She is currently Director of Research and Planning. She has also been very involved with the Census 2000 planning process for several years. She is on the Census Advisory Committee to the Secretary of Commerce representing the business community.
Melanie Russell Hulbert received a B.A. in Sociology-Psychology from Western in 1996. Currently she is in her third year of the Doctoral Program at the University of Albany-New York. When she first declared her major at Western, she had no idea what she was going to do with her degree. It was during the middle of her senior year that she decided she wanted to pursue academia as a career. After graduating from Western, she took a year off to work (..to pay off those student loans J), get married, and spend time applying to over 7 different graduate schools around the country. She’s glad she was accepted at Albany, because it gave her the opportunity to move to the other side of the country and explore that whole part of the world. She says it’s been one of the most fun adventures she’s ever had, although she’s never worked so hard in her life.
One focus in graduate school has been on how temporary workers make “sense” of their work in the labor market, which is continually shifting and changing. Melanie has been conducting qualitative research, interviewing temporary workers and other players in the temporary labor force. Her second interest combines both work and family and the ways in which people balance these parts of their lives. She wants to investigate workplace and organizational policies that are created to help employees better balance these two spheres of life. She is involved in several projects at the University, and presents papers at various sociological meetings in the area. Starting this summer she will be teaching undergraduate classes and writing her dissertation. When she’s finished she’ll be looking for a position in academia.
Her advice to undergraduates who are considering a career in academia: “Be persistent and tenacious with what you want and never be afraid to aim high. Being in graduate school is both wonderful and challenging…you will be stretched both academically and personally. If you are considering it, talk to the faculty at the schools where you are applying and find out if they have you want, so you can be confident in your decision.” Also, “go out there and explore the world…it is much bigger than we could ever imagine!!”
Chris Salazar received his Bachelors in Sociology in Winter of 1997. Currently he is working at Mercer Care and Rehab as a Social Worker. He plans to take pre-med courses (Biology and Chemistry) and continue with graduate work to become a Medical Doctor.
Sharon Schmidtz graduated in June of 1999 with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology. She was our outstanding graduating senior for that academic year. In October 1999 she began working in the Office Institutional Research and Resource Planning here at Western. Sharon is involved in various research projects, including analysis of classroom use on campus, and analysis of student survey data. The reports will provide administrators with the information they need to make important policy decisions for Western. Sharon says that in this position, she is able to put her degree to work and also gain valuable experience. Skills in research, statistics, and computer science are essential for this job, and Sharon has greatly improved her skills in Excel, SPSS, and Access. Congratulations, Sharon!
When Sharon was a student in the Sociology Department, she was aware that many students had some anxiety about taking the required statistics course. She has two suggestions for students who anticipate struggling through this class. "First and most importantly, organize study groups! You really need your fellow students in this class. This is a subject that, I think, just clicks one day when you least expect it. Invite everyone and just talk talk talk—it really helps". Second, "If it is confusing, keep trying. Like I said, you may be surprised one day when you suddenly understand what the prof's talking about!"
Kathy Shireman (B.A. Sociology, Spring 01) has a great job as an Associate Producer in a marketing company in Seattle. "I absolutely love my job and living in Seattle. The company I work for is a very small marketing agency called BuzzBee. There are 5 full-time staff, 2 part-time, and a number of freelancers that work with us on various projects. I actually have been friends with the president and founder of the company for about 3 years now. She has been a mentor for me and offered advice throughout college, and as I was preparing to graduate, offered me an internship. That internship became a full-time position on Nov. 1 (2001). I do much of the HTML and web page creation for smaller projects. I do have a background in this area, even though I majored in sociology-Social Studies at Western. I feel like I do get to use some of those skills I learned from the Sociology Department, because like Sociology, we are interested in learning why people like (or dislike) the things they do. I also get to do some design work, which I love! And that is my story. I guess you could say that networking and luck helped me get this job. And I'm thankful for all the skills I learned while at Western!"
Katherine Stewart is currently the Special Programs Director for Camp Fire Boys and Girls: Samish Council, in Bellingham. She received a B.A. in Sociology with an emphasis in criminology in Spring of 1987. The Samish Council offers several special programs for youth, including the Outdoor Discovery Program for at-risk youth to experience the outdoors, and a Teens in Action Program for teens who are minorities, at-risk, or have special needs. Katherine recruits, trains and supervises volunteers interested in assisting with the development, implementation, funding and evaluation of the Council's various programs. Several internship positions are available for individuals interested in sociology, psychology, recreation, communications, public relations, education, or related fields. If you're interested, call Katherine Stewart at 733-5710. Congratulations Katherine!
David Swanson received a B.A. in Sociology from Western in 1972, an M.A. in Social Science from the University of Stockholm (1976), and a Ph.D. in Sociology (Population Studies) from the University of Hawaii (1985). Currently he is Dean at the Mikkeli International Center, Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration, Mikkeli 50100 Finland.
Email from David:Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press recently released a book that I co-authored with Stan Smith (University of Florida) and Jeff Tayman (San Diego Association of Governments): "State and Local Population Projections: Methodology and Analysis." The book focuses on the methodology and analysis of state and local population projections. It describes the most commonly used data sources and application techniques within each of three classes of projection methods (cohort-component, trend extrapolation, and structural models) and covers the components of population growth, the formation of assumptions, the development of evaluation criteria, and the determinants of forecast accuracy. It considers the strengths and weaknesses of various projection methods, paying special attention to the unique problems of making projections for small areas, and closes with an examination of technological and methodological changes affecting the production of small-area population projections. The book is available in hardbound or paperback. For those interested in obtaining a copy, ordering information is as follows: Hardbound version, ISBN 0-306-46492-6 February 2001, 420 pp. EUR 109.00 / USD 95.00 / GBP 67.00. Paperback version, ISBN 0-306-46493-4 February 2001, 420 pp. EUR 49.00 / USD 42.50 / GBP 29.50
In addition to the release of the book, I gave the following invited presentation on April 7th, 2001: "Providing International Education: A Finnish Example of the European Experience," Presented at the 4th Seminar on Strategic Alliances and Partnerships in International Education, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
My Best regards to Sociology faculty and students at WWU,
David A. Swanson, Ph.D.
Katie Walker graduated in August 1998 with a B.A. in Sociology- Psychology. First she went on a road trip and enjoyed hiking in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, and Oregon. Then, she says, "it was time to get a real job, so I searched and searched and I got a job with a company called People Systems, Inc. I was a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor working with Labor and Industries." She didn't like this job at all, and knew from the day she started that she wouldn't be there long. Then, "to gain more experience, I went to work for Youth Net (Skagit County). I was a Family Preservation Therapist (PT) and also was contracted with Division of Developmental disabilities as a Community Guide. I assisted families with a DD adult/child living with them to access needed resources. Well all that work FINALLY paid off. And now (over a year later) I am a Case/Resource Manager working for the State-Division of Developmental Disabilities".
Katie is really happy, and knows "this is where I wanted to be but I just needed to put in my time to get the experience". Words of wisdom for graduates--"be persistent!" Congratulations, Katie!
Katie is now applying for the MSW program at the U.W.
Merina Warnstadt graduated from Western with a BA in Sociology-Psychology in the Summer of 1996. She started with the city of Kent as temporary office help in November of 1997 and began working her way up through the ranks. She was hired as a Human Services Planner in August of 1999 for the Office of Housing and Human Services, which is a division within the Planning Department. Her office provides housing assistance, participates in regional and local human services issues affecting Kent residents, and provides information and referral to clients needing services. She loves her job partly because of the wide variety of people she interacts with. On a regular basis she deals with city, county, state and federal government, elected officials, nonprofit agencies, the faith community, schools, citizens, and most importantly people who are in need of help.
Her advice to anyone trying to break into this field is to “be persistent and not to be afraid to start from the bottom. Keep cities and counties who have human services divisions in mind while you job hunt. Many hire interns to help with needs assessments and data collection. You may not land the job of your dreams right away, but getting a foot in the door is the first step! Good luck!”
Patricia Wieland received her B.A. in Sociology-Psychology in Spring of 1999. For the year and a half following, she worked as a Family Support Case Manager at Brigid Collins in Bellingham. Brigid Collins is a private non-profit organization committed to providing community services for children and families in Whatcom County. Patti worked with individual families to build healthy parent-child relationships, facilitated a Parents Helping Parents Group, and taught parenting workshops in the public schools.
In November 2000, Patti changed career paths a bit and joined the staff at Applied Research Northwest (ARN) as a Research Coordinator. This position gave her a wealth of expanded training and experience in data analysis, interpretation of research findings, research methods, proposal/research report writing, and marketing. However, after 7 months there, the company needed to cut back, and she was laid off due to lack of work.
Patti used her proposal writing skills (thanks to WWU and ARN experience), was awarded a contract with DSHS as one of the successful bidders. She is now self-employed as a contractor to the Department of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) as a Community Residential Service Evaluator. In this role, she travels around the State of Washington, evaluating and auditing residential care facilities for those with developmental disabilities. About her new profession, Patti says, “this is a service that is so needed in our society. Individuals with disabilities need people who will advocate for them and make sure that they are living a quality life. Residential care providers are caring and capable people, but the support and education that we as evaluators can offer should serve to benefit them and those whom they serve.”
Chris Wood graduated with a BA in Sociology in Spring 00. (email from Chris): I began work in the fall for AmeriCorps* National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC), which is a program of 18 to 24 year olds who give ten months of their lives to philanthropic work in the areas of the environment, education, and unmet human needs. In exchange our room and board are paid for; we earn $310 a month stipend, and are awarded $4,800 at the completion of the program toward college (debt or tuition). We also get the opportunity to learn new skills and travel extensively around our region over the ten months. I was selected to work in the Western Region of the United States and have had the opportunity to build hiking trails in Sedona, Arizona; tutor seventh graders in San Diego, California; and build houses in Pocatello, Idaho. I work with ten other people who travel, work, eat, and sleep w/ me most nights of the year. So far it's been a wonderful adventure I'd recommend to anybody who is interested giving back to the community at large and perfect for anybody who graduates or needs a break from school and doesn't want to commit to anything over a year.
As for my future plans, I leave AmeriCorps in late July at which time I plan on traveling extensively in Europe and Asia (specifically France and India). after that i plan on going back to school and pursuing a teaching certificate...Take care and go vikings. Sincerely, Chris Wood.