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As long as you're working hard towards your goals, towards your passions, and even if you're not sure yet what you want to do, you'll figure it out. And these connections that you make, you're they're going to carry throughout your career and your lifetime. And you never know like when things from your past are going to come back around. Hello, Blue Jays, and welcome to the nest, stories about life after Manor College. I am your host, Kelly Peiffer, vice president of marketing communications, and this is the best

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part of my day. My hope is that this podcast will encourage, inform, and inspire you, making you feel like at Manor College, you belong here always. Before we get to today's guest, it is time for a segment of the show I like to call, did you know? Where we will share some fun fact about Manor College that you may or may not know. Did you know that Manor College uses out of home advertising? Think billboards, bus wraps, bus shelters, things that are around town as a cornerstone of its marketing strategy. The college

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maintains a consistent presence in the local areas where students and their families live, work, eat, and play. So, this strategic approach has paid off in a big way. And I have a story to share about that. a new liberal arts student named Elijah who just started his college career this past fall. He says that he first discovered Manor College by seeing a billboard on I 95. He says that he saw the college's slogan, you belong here, on septa buses near his home and then when he saw the billboard

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in 95, the message really stuck with him. As someone who oversees the marketing team, this is music to my ears. So Elijah's experience highlights the power of consistent messaging and how a simple phrase can really build genuine connections. Elijah said in a story that was recently published on manner.edu in our news section. He said that the you belong here just really stuck with me. I like how the school represented itself. Manor says they are community oriented and they've backed that up. Elijah is entering the liberal

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arts program with an open mind. viewing it as a blank slate to discover his future career path. He's driven by the example of his parents who made sacrifices to provide him with opportunities. His father immigrated from the Ivory Coast and both parents have taught him the importance of fortitude and perseverance. Elijah hopes to make the most of his college experience, viewing it as a chance to find his calling and to make his parents proud. We wish Elijah nothing but the best as his Manor College journey continues and we love

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that he start started his journey by seeing that billboard on 95. Today's episode is sponsored by the veterinary technology program at Manor College. Do you love animals? Are you looking for a career that's both challenging and yet incredibly rewarding? Then discover the vet tech program at Manor College. Our program is AVMA accredited, ensuring that you will receive a high quality education. You'll get hands-on experience from day one working with small, large, and laboratory animals in

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our state-of-the-art facilities. Our small class sizes mean that you get personalized attention from experienced professionals. Graduates are prepared to pass the national exam and launch a fulfilling career as a veterinary technician. Whether you want to work in a private practice, emergency care, or research, your journey to help animals can start here. Learn more and start your future in animal care today at manor.edu/vettech. That's manor.edu/vettech. Joining us today is a proud alumni of Manor College, hailing from Philadelphia

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and a graduate of Central High School. Our guest's journey is a testament to perseverance as she transferred to Manor from Penn State and then went on to earn not one but two degrees, an associates in veterinary technology and a bachelor's in science in interdisciplinary studies where she was among the first to graduate from that new program. She graduated in 2005 and despite facing challenges of being a full-time student and a new mother, she pressed on. Her resilience was supported by impactful

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conversations she had with Manor College faculty. Today she is the director of nursing at the Animal Hospital at Thorndale, a position that she has held for two decades. Her story is not only one of academic and professional success, but also a family legacy. She is the only one of her four siblings to attend college, and her son, who was born while she was a student at Manor, is now a college student himself. Please join me in welcoming Maryanne Evans. Hi Maryanne. >> Hi Kelly. It's great to be here.

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>> Thank you so much for joining us today. It is a pleasure to talk to you. Can you start us off by sharing how did you hear about Manor College and why did you decide to ultimately attend Manor? >> Uh that's a great question. Uh because the journey was um a bit of surprise. Uh so I always wanted to be involved in veterinary medicine. Um and for me I always wanted to do the patient care side. So I knew I didn't want to go to vet school. I knew I didn't want to be a doctor. Um I

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wanted to be a technician, you know, or was equivalent to like the nurse of um veterinary medicine. Um back then, so this is I graduated high school in 2000. So, in the 90s, uh, there wasn't much information on vet tech and what you need to do. It was all pushing to go to vet school. Um, and so I thought that I would be able to attend college and get a bachelor degree in some sort of um, animal science and, you know, take the exam to become certified. I didn't understand the process. So, that's why I was at Penn

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State for two years. I was an animal bioscience um major and I attended the Abington campus and I was getting ready to transfer to main campus. Um in doing that I started researching myself a little harder. So now you know the internet and Google is much more prevalent now. So, I was able to do research >> um >> and found that to become a certified veterinary technician, I needed to attend an AVMA accredited school. Uh living in Philadelphia, I'm from Northeast Philadelphia. Um there was two

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colleges near me. One was Harcum College and one was Manor College. and in um you know reviewing their curriculum uh Manor was a little closer to me in Jenkintown uh I decided to go to Manor um and that's how I ended up I transferred to Manor and luckily a lot of my credits transferred um and I was able to start the veterinary uh tech technology program there. >> Oh, that's so great. I love that. um you know, you you realized you had a couple options and you realized like weighing those options for proximity program

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looking for the AVMA accreditation sounds like that was like the the key factor like it's got to have that. Um but it sounds like how would you say the availability of Vet Tech education has come along? Um I mean you graduated 20 years ago. How has it come along in those 20 years? Are there more programs available? Um and is the industry changing for that? >> Uh yes, it is there is actually um quite a bit more available. Um I actually worked uh for quite some time at um Hope Veterinary Specialist which is

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now Blue Pearl Malvern and I was the education coordinator there. So I was taking in the externs um and doing that program there and we were taking in a lot of Manor students and during my time there about like two or three other uh veterinary technician programs opened up. Um and now uh with the um expansion of virtual learning there uh Pen Foster is a big program >> and then there's uh a bunch of other online options that have been opening up. M that's great. How have you found Manor's program to be distinct from

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other programs that you've seen? You've worked with so many people, I'm sure, who've been in different programs. Kind of what's the factors that makes Manor program different? the big factor that I've seen from being a student there and I actually taught there for a semester um and working with students from other programs and now having a bunch of colleagues that went to the other programs. >> The big factor for me and which I think is great is that the hands on that you

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get at Manor. Manor has animals on site that you work with. Um they have large animals, they have horses. Um they are close to um I think it's Delaware Valley Farm where they have a at my time at least there was a farm animal. >> Fox Chase Farms. >> Fox Chase Farms um that has um farm animals that you work with. They have a lab animal program where you work with mice, rats, and rabbits, and I think guinea pigs, and then they adopt them out at the end of the semester. Um, so a lot of that hands-on stuff. So again,

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the difference uh between Manor and Harcum, which I was choosing between, is Harcum does not have a lot of hands-on labs. Um, but they do they do their externship with uh University of Penn where their students get their hands-on training there. But the difference with the Manor students is they have it all on campus and then when they go to their externships and then again being on the other side as the extern um coordinator and working with the students from Manor they do come in with a little bit more confidence and a

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little bit more preparation for the career. So I think that that is a huge distinction. >> Yeah, that's great. Thanks for spelling that out cuz I feel like sometimes it's hard to convey the difference between and just like how Manor's program is distinct. But it's so cool to hear that you have a good perspective cuz like you went here, you've taught here, you've hired people from here, like kind of a very 360 viewpoint you have. Um, so Maryanne, what was your Manor

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experience like when you were a student? kind of maybe describe for us like what student life was like for you um because you had some challenges come up when you were a student and I think that that's something that a lot of our students can resonate with um today as well. So just maybe take us back what was it like being a student and kind of how did you overcome those challenges? Uh yeah. So um for me, so another good thing about Manor's, they are smaller, but they do have um on campus living. They

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do have dorm life. Uh but for me, I was um close by. I was about like I'm think like 20 minutes or so away. Um and I was already living on my own. So I moved out of my home right after graduation. I did uh do a semester at Cabrini College where I lived on campus. And it w it was tough for me. And again, it wasn't exactly the classes that I wanted um at the time. So, I actually moved into an apartment and uh was going to Penn State Abington. And then when I transferred, I was continuing to

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commute. Um so, I had to work. So, I had to work full-time. Uh but the classes were pretty um easy to schedule around. Um and they were pretty flexible. And then again, I got pregnant in my first year there. And then it was a question of whether I was going to take time off or if I was going to return. But I was very determined to graduate and um my son was born before the next semester started for the next school year started. And me thinking, I'm just going to go in two weeks after having a baby. I'm going to go back to

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school full-time. I'm working. It's going to be great. Uh it was tough. I did have a lot of family support at home even though I wasn't living at my parents' home. They I did have supportive parents um that helped me uh with child care and things like that. Um but it was difficult and so I you know um enrolled full-time but then had to drop some classes and go down to part-time. Um and again that's I brought up about Dr. Bastard. She was pretty encouraging because I was feeling down

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about it. I a little bit of a now looking back I didn't think I was at the time but a little bit of an overachiever. I'm like no I'm going to get this done. I'm going to be a mom and I'm going to work and I'm going to do all these things. And she was like you well maybe we could think about this and it's okay if you don't graduate and it's a two-year program in the exact time of your classmates. Like you just had a child, >> right? They didn't. You did,

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>> right? And the school's not going anywhere. It's going to be there. So that was encouraging and I always tell people yeah things are going to be really hard >> you know for any program you're in any school like school can be hard especially everyone has outside challenges um you know even if you're living at home uh you know a lot of people have to work a lot of people don't have a stable home life a lot of people finances are a big concern um you know there is financial aid there's

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options like that I always say like just think of the time frame it's not going to be hard forever like you can work through it. >> Yeah. Wow. Well, you just you hit on so many things just there, Maryanne. So, you worked full-time. When you were What kind of job did you have when you were a student? >> So, when I was a student, I worked as a dog groomer and I was starting to get into veterinary medicine. So, I worked um it was actually like a in our neighborhood it was a pet store that had

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like >> doggy daycare, grooming, boarding, and then had a small uh vet clinic where a vet came in like two nights a week. So, I was working for the grooming department. I I started working at the at the pet store when I was a teenager and then I went to the grooming department and I was working um for the vet when he was there like as a receptionist assistant. >> Right. So, something that's like was related to your field but still having to put in the hours. um over 85% of our current Manor students, they are working

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while studying at Manor and a good majority of them are working full-time. So that I mean I'm always really impressed of how students manage and balance school life work, you know, just trying to keep all those plates spinning. It's really impressive. And then you had a you had a baby. I mean that's huge. Um, and I mean, you definitely sounded like you were an overly ambitious person, which I I totally appreciate. And I think that's really awesome. And, um, I'm really glad

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that Dr. Basser was able to kind of try to encourage you to like slow it down. You know, don't stress yourself out too much because obviously being a first time mom is a huge transition and um that time is so precious with your baby. So, I'm glad that you were able to kind of slow that down. But I will say also 30% of our Manor students today are caretakers. So either they have children of their own or they're caretaking their own parents um or even grandparents. I've met a lot

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of students who um are caretakers for grandparents and parents um who maybe even in that sandwich generation where they're taking care of parents but then they also have children of their own. So, I mean, it's really I feel like that's a growing percentage of students who are trying to get some college going while doing all those other things in life that um also happen. So, I think it's really just really inspiring that you were able to kind of pull it all together and do that. I mean, what what

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resilience you have. That's really really amazing and major kudos to you. Um so can you talk to us a little bit about um working in animal care and just like how did you know like I am going to have a career in animals? Were you always passionate about animals and kind of when did that start for you? >> Always. I always loved animals. Uh we've always had pets growing up, dogs and cats. Um, and like I said, we were in close proximity to a rather large pet store in my neighborhood, which I

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started working at as a teenager. Um, I went in thinking that I wanted to do like exotic animals, like zoo animals or at the pet store. I worked a lot with the reptiles. I was really uh and the birds. I was really interested in them. Um, and then when I went to Manor, I learned like, oh yeah, I really like caring for these animals, but not in a medical sense. Because we got to remember a lot of people go into veterinary medicine because they love animals, >> but you also need to love medicine.

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There's blood. There's you're poking things with needles. You're putting in catheters. You're get, you know, administering medication and fluids and, you know, assisting with surgery. you're going to see, you know, blood and body fluids and some things you may not be comfortable with. So, you have to also love medicine and science. It can't just be a love of animals if you're truly going to be in veterinary medicine. Uh, so I learned that at Manor, like, all right, I really do like these animals,

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but they're very difficult, you know, to take care of and a, you know, a medical side. And I started gearing more towards dogs and cats. So that's small animal and then there's large animal where people care for, you know, horses and pigs and cows and all those things. Um, so I knew I didn't want to do large animal. I'm, you know, I'm from Philly. I'm a city girl. I didn't have much contact with horses, uh, and, you know, those types of animals, but I did really enjoy my large animal class

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because then I got the exposure and you get to see what you like to do. But for me, always loved animals. I always had pets. Um, and I always knew that like that's where my passion was. >> That's great. That's so cool. It's so cool to me when people share like how clear it was for them that like their career or their passions are going to align. I think a lot of students have a hard time with that, like what am I going to do? And um I often hear from Vet Tech because I I talk a lot to a lot

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of alumni vet techs and the animals for them is usually pretty clear. Like they just loved animals. They knew they wanted to work with animals. But I I've actually never heard someone describe it like how you did where you love animals but like you also need to love medicine and it needs to have this combination of the two things to align. I think you said that really well. Um so share with us Maryanne what are you doing today in your career? Um and how do you feel that your Manor education kind of

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prepared you for what you're doing in your career? >> Oh wow. So again my my career is now like 20 25 years long uh but out of Manor um and I you know I went on to become a certified veterinary technician took my exam um and at by that time I was working full-time at a different uh general practice hospital in Philadelphia. So when I got my license, I uh to me, so back then the hospital work was the University of Pennsylvania. Like when I was a kid growing up, that was the only big hospital. We have since

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expanded. We have so many emergency and specialty clinics uh in the area in the area in the country in the world. Uh but back then I wanted to work at University of Pennsylvania and I did. I got a job there and being a technician at the University of Pennsylvania, part of your job is educating uh fourth year vet students clinically. Um at that time I met uh a resident uh named uh Dr. Hava, Dr. Melissa Hava, and not knowing at the time that she would become a staple in my career. So we worked there. I worked

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there for about four years and then I moved on and worked at a couple of the other um veterinary special hospitals in the area over the year over the years. Um one of so after leaving Penn I um wound up working at a hospital where she also worked >> and her and I worked together for several years. Now she is a board-certified critical care specialist. Um and she then pushed me uh you know saw potential in me to become a um veterinary technician specialist. So I actually hold a second license a

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specialty license and e I'm a specialist in emergency and critical care as well. >> Her and I um parted ways I wound up leaving that hospital and I worked at uh hope veterinary specialists that I spoke about um for a while. Uh in that time her and I kept in touch. we would see each other at conferences and in 2021 she bought her own practice. Um she is the owner of the animal hospital Thorndale and I had since went back to Manor got my bachelor's degree because now at this time I had my specialty

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license. I had you know I've had my associates but you know remember I went to Penn State as well. So I had about five years of college experience and only an associates degree to show for it. So I was so I wanted to you know grow more. Um and I went back and got my bachelor's degree. Um I was thinking of like maybe getting into education. I I taught at Manor for a semester. Um I wasn't you know sure what I wanted to do but I knew I wanted to grow. And then I went into uh leadership. I went into

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management and leadership. um as you know with some of the courses and training I got with with my bachelor's degree there and um uh Dr. Hava uh brought me on as the director of nursing at her practice. Um our practice uh is unique. Uh it's a general practice that also provides specialty care. So we have specialty surgery. She's a specialty um a board-certified criticalist. We have a board certified radiologist. So, I like to refer to it as a hybrid practice. So, it's not quite as large as the emergency

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and specialty hospitals. Uh, and it has the general practice, but we have the emergency and critical care and specialty surgery care, and we're looking on expanding more uh for our clients at a bit of a more affordable price. It is privately owned where a lot of practices are going corporate now. Um, so that's where I'm at now. I really enjoy my position. Uh we're working on um like growth paths for our technicians and really work on supporting our technicians and growing the hospital. So

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it really has come again full circle for me. >> Yeah, definitely full circle. I love that. Someone that you met, you know, as they were a resident at UPEN is now, you know, you've made such a strong impression and connection for all those years. And she was like, I'm bringing you on, Maryanne. Let's go. That's awesome. Congratulations, Maryanne. What a great um career you've had and it's kind of just kind of the beginning and the legacy that you're building. That is that is really

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wonderful to hear. And I love that you were able to come back to Manor and get that bachelor's and like you said, you had five years of college, but now you have an associate and a bachelor's to kind of kind of prove it. So that's really important. Um, something as we kind of finish up here, I I want to share that, you know, part of the the mission of Mayor College and something that we we firmly believe in is that, you know, we want to provide our students um with an education so that

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when they graduate, they're going to serve others. They're going to serve society. They're going to serve um others with compassion and effectiveness. And those are the words that we use in our mission. And I just hearing your story just want to encourage you that continue to do what you're doing. You are certainly serving society well and compassionately and it's perfectly aligned with our mission. So, thank you so much for just being such a great example of um what we want

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our graduates and our alumni to be out in the world. Um, as we finish up, Marian, any advice that you have for current Manor students or current Vet Tech students who are kind of doing their studies and stressed out? Um, what advice would you have as someone who's kind of been through it and is now, you know, 20 years into a career? What would you tell them? >> Yeah, I would, you know, kind of like I said earlier, like it's not always going to be as hard as it is right now, and in the end is it's going to be worth it.

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like no one can take your hard work away from you. Like again, that's why it was important for me to get that bachelor's degree because I knew I put a lot of hard work in and I wanted my credentials to show it. Um you are m maybe may be in it, maybe you're confused, stressed out, maybe not feeling like things are worth it, but it's going to be in the end. I promise you. As long as you're working hard towards your goals, towards your passions, and even if you're not sure

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yet what you want to do, you'll figure it out. And these connections that you make, you're they're going to carry throughout your career and your lifetime. And you never know like when things from your past are going to come back around. But the that hard work that you put in school, um that degree, that license, no one can take that away from you. That is a testament to your hard work. And then 20 years later, like for me, it's like such a blip in the past, but you know, I know it's hard

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when you're in it, but it's going to get better and it's going to get worth it. >> Yeah, that's great. Thank you. So, keep persevering. It's going to be worth it. Um, taken from someone who's certainly been there. Maryanne, thank you so much for joining us today. It has been an absolute pleasure talking to you and we wish you nothing but the best. >> Thank you, Kelly. This was great. Thank you for tuning in with us today. If you like what you heard, listen and

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subscribe on Spotify or YouTube and stay up to date with all new episodes by following Manor College on Instagram at Manor College. And that's a wrap on another episode of the nest, stories about life after Manor College. Remember, Blue Jays, you belong here always. [Music]

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find something you're interested in and try to figure out a way to volunteer and give back. >> So throughout my whole career, I've spent lots of time in animal shelters, >> volunteering in animal shelters and just v for and also for various organizations that I like. I don't know. There's pick your pick what you like and there's some way to give back. Hello Blue Jays and welcome to the nest stories about life after Mayor College. I am your host Kelly Peiffer, vice

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president of marketing communications and this is the best part of my day. My hope is that this podcast will encourage, inform, and inspire you, making you feel like at Manor College, you belong here always. Before we get to today's guest, we are going to do something different. Today we're going to introduce to you one of our students, the nest's first ever Blue Jay Spotlight. A current junior at Manor College studying business administration. She is one of the hardest working people that I know.

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Selfless through and through. Please welcome Natasha Moore. >> Hi, my name is Natasha Moore. I am from Elkins Park. Uh the high school I graduated from was Covington Academy in Covington, Georgia. And I am studying business administration. I found out about Manor when I was looking for schools. I needed something that was close to my job at the time and I just searched up schools near me and I found Manor. For a career, I want to become a human resources business partner. The reason I want to do that is because HRBP

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strategically aligned the company's goals along with the initiatives of the employees as well. I feel that Manor has prepared me for a career. Being a presidential ambassador and student senate, I have gotten comfortable talking with people, not only on one-on-one, but in a group setting as well. Um, which is important as a human resource professional. You need to be able to talk to people, which I had a hard time doing before. So, those are some ways that Manor helped prepare me for my future career. My advice for

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incoming students is to take the time while being in college to get outside of your comfort zone, to seize new opportunities you probably wouldn't have seized before, because the outcome could always be something better than you expected. Something that someone would be surprised to learn about me is that I am an introvert. People keep telling me not to say that anymore, but I really am. I hate ketchup. That's one, too. Manor College, you belong here. Today's episode of the Nest is sponsored by the

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Manor College Program of Veterinary Technology. Do you see a best friend in every creature? Are you passionate about caring for animals? Do you love healthcare? Then you are ready to turn your passions into a profession with the veterinary technology program at Manor College. Our program is fully accredited and designed to give you real world skills that you need. You won't just study from a book. You'll get hands-on experience in labs, facilities, and out in the fields, learning everything from

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patient care and surgical assisting to lab procedures. Manor College connects you with dedicated faculty and the industry knowledge that employers are looking for. In just a few years, you could be a certified veterinary technician, CVT. making a real difference in the lives of animals and their families. Visit manor.edu/vettech today and learn more and apply. That's manor.edu/vette. Coming up, we have a very special guest. She is a proud alumni who grew up in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, and attended

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Archbishop Wood High School. After starting her college journey, she chose to focus on veterinary technology at Manor College, ultimately earning her associates degree in 1999. After Manor College, she transferred to Penn State. Her story is a testament to perseverance. She is a first generation college graduate and actually went to Manor twice. She started in 1986, finishing her coursework in 1988, and then transferred, but didn't complete her practicum to officially graduate. She returned to Manor 10 years later in

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1998 to complete her practicum, officially graduating in 1999. That pivotal moment allowed her to get fully licensed and jump into her career. Today she puts her expertise to work as the clinical infectious diseases laboratory manager at the Ryan Veterinary Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania. Please give a warm welcome to Michelle Traverse. Hi Michelle. >> Hi Kelly. >> Thank you for being with us today. It is an honor to have you on the show. >> It's my pleasure to be here.

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>> So can you start us off by sharing why did you choose Manor College? How did you first hear about Manor? Kind of take us back to that that thought process you went through. >> Well, I being a first generation college student in my family, I didn't really have a lot of help in figuring these things out. And Manor College is actually quite close to Feasterville. So, it's just around the corner from where I grew up. And I guess I just wasn't ready to go off to college, move away, and go off

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to college. So I decided that I would like to commute to college and kind of get a feel for it. So I liked Manor because it was ne close and comfortable but also small and it didn't feel overwhelming. Also I didn't really know what I wanted to study. So I kind of looked at a list of things that I could study and instead of having a focus of like this is what I want, I looked at the list and was like this is what I know I don't want. And veterinary technology, I didn't even actually really even know what it was

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exactly, but it seemed interesting. I like the science part of it. So I just decided I was going to go for it. And it turned out to be my lifelong career. Wow. I love that it started through like a process of elimination starting with like I don't want any of these. So what's left? Um >> that's exactly what happened. I was like accounting no you know business no this no. And then it just kind of left me with the sciences. >> Wow that's great. So you must have had a passion for animals I would assume. Have

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you always loved animals and kind of where does that come from? Well, I have had a passion have a passion for just the natural world and biology. I just like I think of it as it's a little bit of a puzzle and I like puzzles and I just like figuring them out >> and so veterinary medicine in general fits that bill very well. Like it's all just one big puzzle to me that needs to be sorted out. >> Yeah, that's a good way to describe it. We had a guest on the show, Maryanne Evans, um, just last last episode and

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she talked about like when you go into vet tech, you have to like have a passion for animals, but you also have to love healthcare and science and like you just can't be one or the other. It has to be this combination of those things. Um, so I love that you're describing, you know, you had a passion for the natural world and biology and obviously this big puzzle that you're trying to always put that next piece in and trying to solve. So what was your Manor College experience like? >> Well, it was great. And when I went

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there in '86, the Vet tech program I I'm guessing was quite young and quite new. There were just a few of us. There were seven people in the program at that time. >> Mhm. >> Yeah. So we were just like a little pack of people that all like traveled everywhere together. We went everywhere together. We were always together. Just these seven people always together. And um so it was just a little family unit really. We studied together. We hung out together. Went on field trips together. So it was

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just a very intimate com even more than a community more like a family really. >> Sure. >> Siblings even because we were all >> just college kids. >> Yep. We uh we call that kind of in the higher ed world we call that cohorts. Like students do better in college. They retain better. They have better grades. They have better experiences. They get in less trouble when students are part of a cohort. So whether it be a team, a club, um a program, whatever that cohort might be,

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it sounds like you had your own little cohort. Um so you studied at Manor in ' 86 and then you were so close to get graduating, but you didn't quite get there right away. What happened there? >> Yeah, so I think the other six people actually did graduate and I did not. I just got it in my mind that I wanted a bachelor's degree. I don't know why I thought that. I just thought I wanted a bachelor's degree. So, I transferred to Penn State and I just took those two

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years of course credit that I had with me and kind of thought maybe I was abandoning Vet tech and I did go on to Penn State and I graduated. It took me I had a little catch-up to do so it took me three years to graduate from Penn State but I did do that and in the meanwhile I did try some different things but ultimately I ended up back working at a veterinary hospital and so back then in the late 80s early 90s um you could do a lot more you didn't necessarily need a license >> but there became a point where it became

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obvious that there was a ceiling to this and that there was no way I was ever going progress any further in vet med if I didn't have a license. So that's when I realized you better go back and get that license. And by then the rules had changed and an only way you could was to graduate from an accredited program. And prior to that you could be grandfathered in if you had a certain amount of practical expert hands-on experience. But the state of Pennsylvania did away with that rule and said nope you have to graduate from the

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accredited program. and I had never done that. So that's when I contacted Manor the second time. That was when at that point 10 years later, >> that was when Dr. Basser was now running the program. That's when I met her. >> Sure. Wow. Wow. That's I mean I I'm glad that you found your way back to Manor. Um but that's that's just kind of a crazy journey that you were really close to getting that certification and then decided to go get a bachelor's and

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congrats on doing that. That's wonderful. but then still had to come back to it. So I guess in your in your heart did you always know like all right well Vet tech this is going to be my career or was there kind of twist and turns along the way? >> There were some twists and turns along the way and back to one of your original question of you must have always loved animals. Interestingly not really. I mean sure we had a family dog growing up and that sort of thing but no it really was never about that for me. It was

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really about the science. I just like the medicine aspect of it. And um I while I was at Manor the first time, that was when I got my first job at a veterinary clinic. And it was because a classmate of mine recommended had a tip on a clinic near my house that was going to hire. And so I got that job and I just was kind of a natural at it. It was just good good at it and it felt right. it felt like something I could be successful at. So after I tried some different things and went, you know, tried different, you

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know, during my pent time at Penn State, tried some different things, I don't know, I just circled back around because I guess I just never got the same sense of satisfaction as I did um working in veterinary medicine. >> Yeah, that's great. So, um, how, you know, what what is a a common myth or misconception about, uh, Vet tech that you've heard or that, you know, makes you roll your eyes kind of thing that you want to like set the record straight? What's something that people

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get wrong that they think they know about Vet tech? that the job is easy and also that like we spend all day long like playing with puppies and kittens. Whenever you when you meet somebody and you tell them what you do, they say, "Oh, like you, oh, that must be so much fun." It's actually very hard work. It's very, very hard work. It's a very physically demanding job. So, I don't know that people really understand that. And I laughingly say like when people say, "Oh, you must love animals." I say,

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"Well, I like mine. >> Yours wants yours is trying to bite me, but mine mine are okay." Um, I also the other thing that I thought years ago and it really does stick is that veterinary medicine is like pediatrics >> if you think about it. So it's like you have a patient that doesn't understand what's happening and attached to that patient you have a very emotional person. So if you just approach veterinary medicine like pediatrics >> Yeah. >> then it makes more sense like people can

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understand that better. >> When you relate it to how a child would behave at the doctors. [Music] >> Yep. That's a good way to describe it for sure. Um when you were saying, "Oh, I like mine." And I immediately thought like about like you know children and you know you assume teachers like teachers you must love kids and then they're like well I like my own kids you know >> exactly >> kind of kind of idea but they love education or they love you know in

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inspiring and and maybe they also obviously love children too but um that's a really good way to describe it and I have heard that Vet tech is a very physically demanding job. It is um it's a ton of hard work. It also can be quite sad from what I hear um to work in the animal industry like that. But also, you know, it's rewarding. It's work that needs to get done. It's to me it's service. Um and it's very I would say like mission focused on trying to

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help um not just cats and dogs. It's a lot of other types of animals as well from what I understand from our students. So, >> thank you for what you're doing >> because it's certainly it's really impressive. >> Well, thank you. I do try to um I work with a lot of students still at the university and I try to tell them you know remind them like we're not in retail but we are in a service industry. It's it's the same like it's a lot of it

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is the same like you have to don't lose your service mind >> set when you um get lost in the science. >> Yeah. Bedside banner so important and all that kind of stuff for sure. Um, so Michelle, tell us about what do you do at the Ryan Veterinary Hospital and kind of what um how has your career grown over the years to what you're doing today? >> So for many years, probably a good 20 plus years, I worked in small animal practice. Um towards the end of that run, I was um a technician in I guess

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you would equate it to like a med surge unit in a human hospital. So it was a treat, we call it the treatment room, but also surgery. So I spent all day doing surgery with the doctors and you know recovering those patients and the pre and the post op which is is a lot of like this the doctor comes in for the procedure but the pre and the postop is what the nurses take care of. >> Sure. >> Um technicians otherwise known as nurses. >> So um then I just decided I got this idea in my head that I wanted to work at

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the University of Pennsylvania. So, I set my mind on that and I took a job that wasn't a vet, it wasn't a clinical job at all. It was I became the infection prevention coordinator for the hospital, which was is just, you know, it's big. It's common in human medicine. It's becoming more common in veterinary medicine. It's just basically how to protect animals from hospital acquired infections, >> how to prevent uh humans from becoming ill because of whatever p whatever

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diseases patients might have. >> So there's a whole level of biocurity around all that. So I took the job in biocurity at Penn Vet >> just because it was a new challenge. I kind of felt like I had done the other work for a long enough time that I had, you know, been there done that. Um and then while in that position, it was very closely linked with the microbiology lab here at the hospital. And so while in that position, I got exposed to the laboratory side of things >> and the diagnostics involved in

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how diseases are, how we figure it out. So I um eventually after about I don't know eight years or so a position in a lab became available and I had already known the person who ran that lab and so she approached me and said like hey this position is coming available if you want it you can have it. So, I just made a lateral move over into the laboratory um about 10 years ago, and I have I don't I'm never leaving. This is it for me. I'm staying until my career is finished. >> I'm pretty close to being eligible to

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retire at this point. Um but I love it. I love the diagnostic lab and um I feel like it's work that is very important and it's we produce a result that somebody actually cares about >> and so that to me is important work. >> Yeah, that's measurable. It's impactful. >> It's me it's measurable. It's impactful. And um so I I'm very serious that we are producing the most scientifically accurate relevant results we possibly can. So at this point I'm the LA the laboratory

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manager. So there are two veterinarians above me who run the place and then I manage the day-to-day operations for them. And then there are four technicians underneath of me. >> Okay. Nice. So, you got a good kind of like back to your cohort model. You got your team, you got your cohort, got your people, you know. >> Got my people. Yes, exactly. We're really nice team. It's a It's a good team. We've got >> That's great. That's such a good feeling, too. Well, that's so neat to

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show that like how having a Vet tech degree can take you so many places. I talk to a lot of Vet tech alumni and whether they get other certifications, whether they go into, you know, surgery or private practice or farm care or exotics, like there's so many different fields out there. It's just really neat that um they all can kind of start in the same program and then like branch off, you know? I think it's really um cool to show that our students like there's so many opportunities in the Vet tech field.

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Michelle, I want to switch gears for a minute just because um you have come out to several of our alumni events at the Phillies games. Yes, I have. >> So, I want to talk Phillies for a minute with you because we're at a critical moment in the year here for us us Phillies fans. Um in my family, this is one of the longest weeks of the year because there's no Phillies games. So we are all I know >> we are all like what are we supposed to do every night until Saturday. Um but we

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we run uh an annual manor night at the Phillies typically in the summer either July or August and Michelle not only has come to the last two years of this but she brings a whole crew of people um and it's great to see just alumni come out friends come out family come out. So, how are you feeling this Red October? What are you thinking is going to happen? What are your predictions? >> I think that the team is doing excellent and I I get So, I've decided being from Philadelphia, you know, everybody wants

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you to be an Eagles fan and I've decided, you know, baseball is really my thing. Like, sure, I'll watch an Eagles game. It's good, but I just like baseball. Yeah. >> And so I think we have the potential to go all the way. I really truly do and I'm looking forward to seeing them play in the World Series again. >> Yeah. I'm right there with you, Michelle. Um I I grew up in a family and my husband, you know, they are all like all Philadelphia, everything, all the

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teams. And I've kind of decided like you, like I'm going to put my energy into one team and chosen the Phillies as well. Um I love baseball so I'm with you. I really think this is this is a good year. Let's not have a repeat of last year in the postseason. Let's but I but I'm nervous. I'm not going to lie. I'm very nervous. We have a whole week off. Um and they're not going to be playing as much. So, you're just like, "Oh gosh, are we going

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to get cold? Are we going to hit the ball? We have to hit the ball. We need some offense." So, we'll see. >> I know. And and like now every everything counts so much more because every round is going to be an elimination round. Exactly. We don't have any wiggle room to like have any mess ups and we don't have Zach Wheeler, so that makes me But, you know, our pitching has been pretty good. Um, my I have a six-year-old son who's really into it and that's it's been so fun to

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like just have him be into it and we took him to a couple games this year and he wants to stay for the ninth inning to see the Duron, you know, spectacular with the spider and the lights and the tarantula. He's my son is obsessed with it. He loves watching it and loves just saying, "Mom, we have to stay for the ninth inning." And I'm like, "I know, but I want to beat the parking." He's like, "I don't care. We have to stay." So, >> yeah. The first time I saw it, I was

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with my sister and we were laughing. I was We were calling it the spiderwalk. >> Yeah. >> You know, cuz I didn't expect the whole tarantula thing and I was like, "What is going on?" >> It was It is. Apparently, they're rolling out new things with that for the postseason. So, I'm sure it's going to get crazy. Well, good luck to you this October. I know us all Phillies fans are like just going to be biting our nails at home. Very nervous, but >> it's such a fun team to follow and it's

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been great to see you out at the games. Thank you for supporting Manor in that way as well. I appreciate that. >> I was um glad to get the invite because, you know, I wasn't sure if you were going to be running the same types of events, you know, year after year and then I got the invite and I was like, "Yay." And then just so happens that this year it was my birthday. So I was like, "Oh, oh, I definitely this is what I want to do for my birthday." And that's how I ended up with an entourage.

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>> Cool. >> Because it just so happened to fall on my birthday. Yeah. >> Well, perfect. Yeah, we're definitely going to do that. We've tried a couple of other teams, but um the Phillies tend to be the biggest turnout for us. So, we're hoping to >> keep that again for next year. Um Michelle, as kind of my final question to you, >> just what advice what advice would you give current Manor students who are um whether they're studying Vet tech or not, just you know, they're currently

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studying and going out throughout their college career, what advice would you give for them as someone who's been through it a couple times um and kind of on the other side of that? >> Um I thought about this. I thought because I I knew you were going to ask me this question because I've listened to other episodes and so I did think about this and the one I have two things. One is when I was at Manor both times I utilized the learning center quite a bit. So that's one bit of advice

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is go to the learning center. If you're having trouble, if you need help, if you need advice, try the learning center because the people there are great and they really do want to help you figure things out. And so, yeah, before you decide that that you can't or won't try the learning center. Mhm. >> And the other thing I thought of as far as my career in veterinary medicine and just in life is find find something you're interested in and try to figure out a way to volunteer

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and give back. M >> so throughout my whole career I've spent lots of time in animal shelters >> volunteering in animal shelters and just v for and also for various organizations that I like I don't know there's pick pick your pick what you like and there's some way to give back >> in that field. So, um, that's my other and it's also a great way to meet people, maybe meet like-minded people, people who have great similar ideas or it's an interesting way to network with

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people. So, that's what I want to encourage people to do is find organizations that you respect and want to support and figure out a way to volunteer and give back. >> Yeah. And it's it'll help >> it'll help enrich your life and it'll help you meet >> like-minded individuals. And it makes it just does it just feels good. >> Yeah, it does. It does. It feels good to give back. It feels good to serve. And if you can align that with something that kind of like hits you in the heart,

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hits you at home in your core values, I mean, even even better. And um right, you'll meet people that are like-minded like you, have the same interests as you, and kind of all those things. And I I totally echo the learning center. Um I always tell students like you should be going to the learning center. Even if you're doing well in your classes, still meet them, get them to help you. There's no harm in it. It's free. Um it's a great service. We offer so many good services here for academic support,

00:26:50
tutoring, writing center, time management, um you know, personal counseling. We have a food pantry. We have a career closet. We have a safe fund for students who maybe need help on a bill or two at home. We have so many wraparound services and it feels like every year we're adding more services to that wraparound. Um I mean students and but students have to take advantage of it. That's the thing. You can't make them use it. Um but we are here and we are ready to like just jump right in.

00:27:23
Thank you, Michelle, so much for being such a great embodiment of our mission. I think everything that you've shared with me today really just reminds me so much of our mission. Our mission is to serve students um so that they grow up to be people who serve society effectively and compassionately and you are doing that to a tea. So, thank you so much for just really living out our mission that we're trying to do here at Manor College. Well, thank you also because you know, Manor helped me make it happen.

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>> Yeah, that's great. Well, have a good one, Michelle. We wish you nothing but the best. And of course, go Phils. Thank you for tuning in today. If you like what you heard, listen and subscribe on Spotify or YouTube. And stay up to date with all new episodes by following Manor College on Instagram, Manor College. And that's a wrap on another episode of The Nest. Stories about life after Mayor College. Remember Blue Jays, you belong here always. [Music]

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the sister that was there at the time. Um, she asked me to participate in the graduation mass as like a volunteer to help out. Um, so I went to that graduation ceremony and I sat next to him and um, the year after that we just kind of kept bumping into each other. We became like really close friends and then, you know, after the fact um, we both transferred to LA and eventually uh, we started dating each other and the rest is history. Hello Blue Jays and welcome to the nest stories about life after Manor College.

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I am your host Kelly Peiffer vice president of marketing communications and this is the best part of my day. My hope is that this podcast will encourage, inform, and inspire you, making you feel like at Manor College you belong here always. Before we get to today's guest, it is time for a segment of the show I like to call did you know? where we will share some fun facts about Manor College that you may or may not know. Did you know that Manor College was ranked by the US Department of Education

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in the top 200 nationally for creating economic mobility for students? We've all heard the term economic mobility, but have you ever stopped to really think about what that actually means for a family? So, let me paint a picture for you. Imagine a single parent making around $30,000 a year, working really hard to give their child a shot for a better life. They're doing everything they can, and their child is watching and learning from them. Now, fast forward a bit. That child graduates from

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college, gets a degree, and lands a job as an accountant, starting at $75,000 a year for that salary. Can you imagine that moment? The first thing that this new college graduate is going to do is turn to their mom and dad and say like our lives are going to change. We're going to live differently now. That's just not like a nice thought. That's what economic mobility does in action. It's a moment of real tangible change that can impact a family and change that family's tree. The New York Time is has

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also ranked Manor College in the top 6% of colleges for creating that kind of mobility and that's exactly what they're measuring. They're looking for real families getting real transformations and the ripple effect that a college degree has for decades to come. So when we talk to donors about Manor College, we don't just say like we're a good school. We always use the word transformational because we're just not handing out diplomas. We're helping close this wealth gap and create

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significant economic change in people's lives that's going to change their family forever. It's one more way we're helping our students to achieve powerful life-changing moment for them and their families. Today's episode is sponsored by the Manor College Bachelor's degree in accounting. New for fall 2025. Are you ready to build towards a career that is in high demand? With a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Manor College, you can become a financial detective, a business strategist, and a

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vital force for growth. Our small class sizes mean that you get personalized attention from our expert faculty. Manor College, you belong here. Learn more at Manor.edu/accounting. We have a truly special guest today, an inspiring alumni who's making waves in the accounting world. She is a proud graduate from Ben Salem High School who then pursued her passion right here at Manor College. While studying accounting, she earned an associates degree in business administration in 2012. During her time at Manor, she was

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incredibly active serving as president of the Alpha Beta Gamma Business Honor Societies where she led fundraising efforts for breast cancer awareness. She also dedicated her time to helping others as an accounting peer tutor. After graduating from Manor, she transferred to Lasal University, continuing her educational journey. Today, she's a successful account assistant controller at Han and Stone Massage, a testament of her hard work and the foundation she has built, formerly working at Ernest and Young,

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one of the big four public accounting firms. Jess is also a first generation college student. So, please join me in welcoming our guest today, Jessica Strickland. Hi, Jess. Hi, Kelly. Thanks for having me. Yes, thank you so much for joining us today. I'm really excited to talk to you. Um, so Jess, kind of take us back. How did you hear about Manor and why did you choose ultimately to attend? Yeah. Um, so you know, um, as a senior in high school, I was kind of going through the college application process,

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um, as my other peers were, and I had a couple schools on my list, but I I really wasn't, um, committed to any of them. And, um, my friend, uh, my best friend at the time was actually interested in Manor's dental hygiene program, and she was going to an open house event, and she's like, "Hey, Jess, wouldn't it be fun if we like went to college together?" And I'm like, "Yeah, but you know, we're kind of going towards different paths." And she's

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like, "Well, I'm going to this open house for Manor. You should come along." And I'm like, "What? What's Manor College? I've never heard of it before." So, um, I was like, "Okay, you know, it can't hurt." Um, so I went and, um, I feel like when I went there and I got to, you know, meet my future professors and whatnot, I definitely got that sense of community and, um, just like that small class size really attracted me. Um, so, um, while I was kind of, you know, on my

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journey of deciding which college would be a best fit for me, um, I kind of in the back of my head that knew that like I was going to have to fund like 98% of my tuition. So, um, that was also a big factor. So, I scheduled a interview with admissions or I think it was like a campus visit with admissions and um, I brought my transcripts along. I had my dad with me and you know they're like hey you know your your transcript looks really good and you're involved in extracurriculars I think you would be a

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great candidate for our presidential scholarship which would be a full scholarship and then of course my dad's all like oh this is this is the college you should get through the process and um it went well I got awarded a full scholarship um so I think just between you know that assistance and um being attracted to those smaller class sizes is really like what drove my decision um to decide on Manor. And it's close to home, too. So, that's a huge plus. Yeah. I love that you kind of like hit

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multiple um points that like a lot of students resonate with like a friend, you know, word of mouth. A friend brought you there. You came for an open house. You met some people and you were feeling the vibe and we're like, "Okay, this is a cool place. I can see myself here." And then the financial piece comes in, right? It's not just about like good feelings and like cool people. It needs to work with your budget and what you can and cannot afford. So obviously having a really strong high

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school um performance really helped get that great scholarship and then you know other factors like convenient to home and having the right program and just seeing the opportunities that you could have. So that's great. I'm so happy that that all kind of worked out for you in that sense because it can be super daunting for high school students or transfer students to figure out where am I going to go? Is it the right fit? There's so many there's so many factors to consider. So, I'm glad multiple

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factors aligned for you. Um definitely felt like it was the right place for you to be 100%. I was very fortunate in that regard. It's just I'm a very indecisive person too. So for the fact that like Manor aligned for me that much um definitely grateful for them. That's awesome. So what was your Manor college experience like? Take us back. What was it like being a student? What were you involved with kind of what was it what was it like for you during your college days?

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Yeah. Um so I definitely feel like um I grew a lot at Manor. So, I remember just like my first day coming to campus and just like not really knowing how like college works. I mean, I had a little bit of knowledge, not really knowing how the real world works. And I just like get to the campus and I'm like, "Oh my gosh, I'm here. What do I do?" I was just like a blank slate for me. M um but um I just think Manor was like the perfect place cuz there's such a sense of community and um I think you

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know this everyone from the staff to uh the professors to your peers like everyone's just like there to want to help you and help you succeed and you know um be that guide for you and just like the sense of connection at Manor was just amazing. Um, I think the thing that really helped me was the small class sizes just because, you know, I am a bit of an introvert. Um, I was even more introverted back then and, you know, I my goal a lot was to just like blend in with the crowd and just kind of

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go with the flow. But I think being in those smaller class sizes gave me a space to really just like um, speak out more and like participate in meaningful dialogues. And I think, you know, that portion of my college learning was just so important. I maybe didn't like realize at that time, but just like looking back, I think, you know, being able to articulate a point of view and, you know, hear opposing point of views and just, you know, being more engaged in general. Um cuz I definitely feel like, you know, I

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I think big colleges are great for um certain people, but I know for someone like me, I feel like I I am the type of person that could maybe just tune out um if I was like in a 100 plus. Um but I feel like, you know, like being engaged is really what kept my focus. Um so I'm very grateful for that. And then obviously like the sense of community. Um my professors were great. Um, not only did they help me in my classes, but um, just like getting ready for my career. I didn't know how to write a

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resume. Um, so my accounting professor was very helpful. Um, she definitely just kind of showed me what to say, like what employers are looking for, etc. Um, and we got my first resume down on paper and it looked pretty good. Um and then she also helped me secure an externship which um at least back then there was an externship requirement um for the associates degree in accounting. So um I was able to get that and it was a great opportunity. Um I got to dabble in some tax work which you know it was

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great but I also learned that tax wasn't for me. Um so that and then I think just you know I made some like relationships that um you know were very important. So, um, as you know, I actually met my fiance at Manor. So, that was kind of a big deal. Kind of a big deal. Met the love of my life at Manor College. You know, we're getting married. Shout out to Carlos. Yes. Yes. We're so happy for you. I was going to say, did you meet anyone special at Manor? That was funny cuz uh Oh, sorry. Go

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ahead. Go ahead. We just We just love We I love and we love like we call them Manor matches. Whenever there's a manor match, we just Oh my gosh, I love that. You're a manor match. Yeah, that say that. Yeah. Um, uh, so we actually met my first year. I feel like, you know, I think was a big transition year for me. I was just kind of absorbing, taking it all in. But, um, I actually went to a couple of the masses that they offered, um, on campus. And, um, so the sister that was there at the time, um, she asked me to

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participate in the graduation mass as like a volunteer to help out. Um, so I went to that graduation ceremony and I sat next to him and um, we're both practicing Catholic, so we just kind of bonded over that we were both kind of like knew what was going on and what we were doing. Um, and then the year after that we just kind of kept bumping into each other. We became like really close friends and then, you know, after the fact, um, we both transferred to Leo and then eventually uh, we started dating each

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other and the rest is history. Oh, that is so cute. Oh my gosh, that's beautiful. I love that. That's actually great, too, because um while we weren't dating at Manor, um my he was a speaker at our um college at our graduation and um my grandma was there and she didn't get to formally meet him, but um she did get to see him. So, um she unfortunately passed away um before we started dating, but I can officially say that like she saw him, right? like she heard him or knew him and Oh, that's so sweet. I love that.

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Yeah. Well, how how special to be um you know, not only your college experience was like I got a degree, I built some confidence, I got out of my shell, but then also bonus met my husband. That's beautiful. I love that so much and so happy for you and Carlos. And I know November 8th is the big day coming up just about two months away. It's going to be beautiful. Um yeah, that's awesome. So, Jess, talk to us about your um accounting passion. How did you know that this was a a career that you wanted to pursue? Um I think

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accounting sometimes gets not the greatest reputation. So, may maybe you can help us understand and unlock why accounting isn't so scary and so daunting and you know what's the good parts about it. Yeah, sure. Um, so, um, I would say it maybe started in high school. I was more into my math classes. I really like dealing with numbers and problem solving. And I will say it's like, you know, they say we think with different sides of the brain. So, someone who's into like the mathematics um, you know,

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they definitely I think it's the right side of your brain. Um, you definitely have to have um, I guess that passion or that desire or that um, interest in numbers. So, I personally just like I found that was my favorite class. I really like problem solving. Um just like getting to the right answer. So that was just something I was personally interested in. And then I took accounting as an elective in high school. Um and I was like, you know what, this kind of like blends like my interest in problem solving with I what

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I feel is like a practical career choice because um you know, I think you know, the job market always is doing a lot of things, but especially at that time, I feel like you know, you're always going to need accountants. Um it's a great field to get into. there's a lot of demand. Um there's a lot of different directions you can go into. Um not just tax, there's like tax, there's audit. Um some people get into like financial planning and analytics. Um there's just a lot of things you can

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do with an accounting degree. Um so I think just like enjoying that elective, I was just like, you know what, I think this is practical. I like I like it. So um I'm just going to study it and see how it goes. And I was also very fortunate in that regard because um I know some people kind of like use the first couple years of college to figure out um what they want to do, which is great. Um and I've had that open mind too, like you know, I don't want to feel like just because I picked accounting

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from day one that like I if I didn't find something else that I think would be a better fit, I I would have pursued that avenue. But it just so happened that like, you know, I felt reinforced in my decision as I was going through um the program. That's great. I love that you felt um kind of like reassured as you were going through the program like, "Yeah, oh, accounting. This is definitely my thing." It's practical. It's applicable. And it's also pretty broad. You

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can do a lot with an accounting degree. You can go a lot of avenues. You can go tax, you can go audit, you can go CPA, you can go financial planner, you can get all sorts of other credentials that really just build your career. Um, and also, you know, for you, you graduated in 2012 from Manor. So, you were in high school during the '08 recession, which like was just a time of turmoil and very unsecure in the economy and job security. So, I could see how having that mindset of like practicality for my

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college degree needs to be like a first. I can I can totally see that. Um that makes really good sense. So, te tell us about what um what are you currently doing for Hand and Stone Massage? Um and kind of what's it like working for kind of a a pretty large company here that's um in the massage industry and in the spa industry? Yeah. So, um I well I was doing like consulting because um I did some auditing work and then um I went to a firm called CFGI just because like I was like I'm ready to take that next step

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but I kind of want to get exposure to different projects. Um so I was able to get that experience which was great. So I'm like you know I want to take a shot in like the industry like um I think previously like for the first nine years of my career I was in the client service so I was always like jumping from different projects working with different people and it was great, but I was like, you know what, I'm gonna be in like a more stable role. Um, so I actually was like working with a

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recruiter and they um reached out to me about this opportunity. So I'm like, "Yeah, why not?" Like I feel like it'd be fun to work at a spa. Um, and they actually um their head office or their corporate office is located in Trivose. Um, and I grew up in Ben Salem, so I was like, "Oh, you know, yeah, right there. That's kind of very interesting." Um, so I went through the interview process. They gave me the job offer and I'm like, "Yeah, this is this is good." And it was

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definitely like a new experience just because um, you know, back to what we were saying about account, there's so much different things you can do. And I think my experience was definitely more um, focused towards the financial reporting side of things. Um, so like financial statements, auditing those financial statements, whereas this role um, I'm really diving into like the day-to-day operations. Um, so you know, we're responsible for making sure the company's bills get paid. Uh, we are a

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franchise, so um, you know, every week we bill the franchises, royalties, marketing, etc. Um, just, you know, the run-of-the-mill expenses that we um, pass off to them. And, um, you know, just making sure providing audit support, making sure the books and records are accurate. Um, cash management's a big component of what we do. Um, so just making sure that like you know we're keeping the place up and running day-to-day and I think it's really good for me to get that experience because I

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definitely feel like um I've definitely been more on the financial reporting side of things. So I'm definitely learning a lot. Um it's definitely rewarding um just like some of the process improvements and stuff that we're implementing and you know getting the audit done in a more um robust fashion I guess. Yeah. So that's great. And then you get great perks. get a free facial every month and you get free products. So Oh, that's nice. Oh my goodness. Well, that is really nice, too,

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obviously. Um, but that's so cool that you feel like in your career that you've had like you're kind of like rounding out the different areas and you're trying and I think it's so frankly inspiring that like you're willing to like try new things. You want to learn new things. You're not kind of like, well, I've gotten really good at this and I'm going to stay with this. you're like, "No, I'm going to push myself and I'm going to learn more." That's a great

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skill. And I think that's something that I think about our mission and in our mission. We say we want to um educate students to become like lifelong learners to serve society with compassion. And I feel like you're certainly doing that. So, thank you so much for truly being like a walking embodiment of what the Manor College mission is because that's spot on to what we're trying to do here for our students. Um, so what's like a myth or like um something we can debunk

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about um accounting that people are getting wrong, but it's maybe um a myth that's out there that we can kind of say, you know what, this is set the record straight. This is not accurate. I would definitely say um we don't all know how to do taxes. My first five years, all your friends hitting you up for taxes. Do your taxes. I'm like, you do not want me to do your taxes. I promise you, you do not want me to do your taxes. Okay, that's a good one. So, I definitely would say that. Um I

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think my family understands now, but it took them a while, right? They think I think they thought I was just saying no and just like making it up so I didn't have to do it. I'm like, "No, you don't understand. I I literally don't do taxes. I I don't know. I will I can put it through Turbotax, right? And Turbotax will tell me what to do, but that that's right. So can I. Yeah, that's what I do. Okay. Yeah. So, not all Gins can just do your taxes for you. That's definitely a good one.

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Um, so Jess, what advice would you give to Manor College students who are kind of in their own career uh college journeys right now? what advice would you give them based on all this wisdom that you've gained over these years? Yeah, I would just say um don't be afraid to like get involved. Um you know, I feel like Manor just has so much um that you can get involved in, so much you can participate in. And it's just kind of up to you to be like, "Okay, yeah, I'm going to I'm going to do it."

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Um just like ask people questions, get to know your peers, get to know your professors. I feel like um one of the fortunate sides of Manor is it is a very inclusive environment and I feel like it's a very welcoming environment. So even if you're more on the introverted and shy side like you're going to get like a good reception. Um you just kind of have to take that first step of faith in yourself and faith in the community and just like you know just put yourself out there and like rewards will come. So

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um I think you know just uh get involved see what you like and I think going back to like you know trying new things like um you know there might be an elective or there might be an activity that you don't know you like and then you try it and you're like oh actually I am interested in this. So I think just take advantage of all the wonderful things that Manor has to offer you. Oh that's great. Yeah involved try new things. This is a time kind of like why not you know? Yeah, I always scenario.

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Yeah. No, I always say it Manor like you just you can't really hide unless like you're trying to hide. Like if you if you want to hide, fine. You know what I mean? That's Yeah. But like if soon as you step out of that bubble a smidge, we're going to notice you. You're we're going to help you. Like and that is the best way to really um just like feed into yourself. You know what I mean? Like get and it'll open up doors. It'll open up networks. You never

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know who you're going to meet. You can meet friends, your boyfriends, girlfriends, you know, professors who are going to change your life and give you job opportunities. So, um, that's great advice and I think it's really tried and true. So, thank you so much. Thank you, Jess, for being with us today. It's been awesome talking to you, wishing you and Carlos nothing but the best. Um, and thank you so much. We are cheering you on every step of the way. Thank you, Kelly. I appreciate it.

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Thank you for tuning in today. If you like what you heard, listen and subscribe on Spotify or YouTube. Stay up to date with all new episodes by following Manor College on Instagram at Manor College. And that's a wrap on another episode of The Nest. Stories about life after Manor College. Remember, Blue Jays, you belong here always.

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If it's a matter of studying an extra hour or getting out there and getting yourself involved in a club, do it. Never be afraid. And uh don't shy away uh from something that you think you can do but you're not sure that you can do. Hello Blue Jays and welcome to the nest stories about life after Manor College. I'm your host Kelly Peiffer, a vice president of marketing communications and this is the best part of my day. My hope is that this podcast will encourage, inform, and inspire you,

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making you feel like at Manor College, you belong here always. Before we get to today's guest, it is time for a segment of the show I like to call Did You Know? Where we will share some fun facts about Manor College that you may or may not know. Did you know that the Independent Blue Cross Foundation has awarded Manor College with a Blue Safety Net Grant for the seventh consecutive year? This is a $20,000 grant that will provide operating support for our college's dental health center. The Manor College

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Dental Health Center was established in 1979, functions as both a teaching facility for dental students and a full service dental clinic for the community. Due to its status as a teaching center, it can offer dental services at approximately 50% less than the average cost of a private practice. This grant from the IBX Foundation is vital for our cent's mission to provide affordable dental care, improve community health, and offer preventative education. Thank you so much to the IBX Foundation for being

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a sustaining partner with the Manor College Dental Health Center. We are keeping our community healthy thanks to your partnership and support. Today's episode is sponsored by Manor College's Bird Feed. Did you know that some of Manor College's students struggle with food insecurity? Manor College is proud to be an official PA hunger-free campus. Our bird feed food pantry provides a vital lifeline offering nonperishable food and toiletries for those in need. But we can't do it without your help.

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Your donation of canned goods, dry goods, or financial contributions help us stock the shelves and ensure that no one in our campus goes hungry. Learn how you can help by visiting manor.edu/birdfeed. That's manor.edu/birdfeed. We have a very special guest joining us today, an alumni who graduated not just once but twice from Manor College. Wow, that's very impressive. Coming from Philadelphia and a graduate of Tacony Academy Charter High School, our guests chose to pursue their passion for public

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service by majoring in both paralegal studies and public policy here at Manor College. A truly remarkable achievement. They earned both their associates degree in 2021 and then a bachelor's degree in 2023. As a first generation college student, they didn't just attend classes. They became a force for uh for good on campus, serving as a student senate president. Today, they are a powerful advocate for good government working at the committee of 70, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to

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improving Philadelphia and Pennsylvania. Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Victoria Laughlin. Hi, Victoria. >> Hi, everybody. >> Thanks for being with us today. I I feel so honored to get to talk to you. >> Definitely. It's my pleasure. >> So, let's get started by how did you find out about Manor College and why did you choose to attend? Uh when I initially graduated from high school in 2014, I was really determined to get into law and policy and Manor College was very convenient for me for

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my local area in Philadelphia and so that was the natural course I took. >> That's great. I love I love kind of the clearcut like it was local and convenient. There we go. Um sometimes a lot of our students they want to commute so Manor is a good option for that as well. Um, so how did you know that you wanted to go into law and policy? What was that what was that drive in you and that passion? >> I was initially aspired by helping serving local communities and representing myself as a leader who can

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have a positive impact and have real effective change and offer practical solutions uh to real world problems. >> That's great. So you knew this was a a field that you wanted to go into for your career? Yes, absolutely. That's correct. >> Oh, that's great. So, what was your Manor experience like? Take us back. What was it like being a student here? And kind of give us like a day-to-day feeling so we can kind of imagine it. >> Manor College definitely helped me grow

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uh not only just professionally but also personally. It's a very positive learning atmosphere and uh instruct many instructors are willing to help you along the way with that process. It's a learning experience before you reach out and go to the world and it's definitely helped me grow and apply real world skills that I still use today. >> What um what are some of the things that you were involved with when you were a student? Like outside of like the classes, what are other activities or

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things that you get to experience? >> Um so when I was at Manor, I was initially a student senator. I served for two years um along with my other fellow senators. Um and then eventually I was elected as student president for my leadership and uh the commitment I had to make Manor a good place. H um student senate is always a really important group on campus and I know one of the big things that senate does is they um work all year to get feedback from the the students about what are some things that they would like to see

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changed or improved at manner and then the senate team presents it usually in like March or April to in like a public setting um usually administration's there usually our president's there and then whoever else wants to attend. What were some of your big projects do you remember that you had in Senate? >> Well, I remember that we helped create a bird feed uh which is a local lounge uh right near the cafeteria. Uh students really seem to take liking to that. So, um we managed to get that on campus.

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>> Oh, you mean do you mean the nest? >> Yes, the bird nest. >> Yes, the nest. Okay. Because you said the bird feed and I was like the bird feed's a food pantry. Um, but I we have a lot of bird and blue J acronym words around here, so I totally understand how that would be confused. The Nest, the Nest is such a cool spot. It's a it's a student lounge and right, you guys really pushed to get it like renovated with like better furniture, better tables. It has like this like half

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countertop bar thing you can like plug in and like study. Um, oh, that's great. That was one of your projects. I love it also when Senate has projects that we can then actually complete relatively quickly. So then you really feel like wow I had that idea I got did the research I presented it and now it's done like it comes full circle you know >> definitely yes >> yeah that's such a cool and I think students really enjoy the nest I know it's always there's always people in

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there doing stuff so I think that's a really really good project um when you were a student so obviously so you got an associates in 21 was your plan then to like turn around and continue being a student or did you were you working at the time kind of what was that like? >> Uh I planned on being a student. Um I had to over overcome some personal obstacles but I managed to get back in and graduate again and um yeah it was a good time. >> That's great. Was there anyone at the college whether it's a professor or a

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staff member or a coach or someone who like you felt really left like a lasting impact on you and was just really um like in your corner when you were a student? >> Absolutely. Professor Sims was a fantastic professor. Uh she definitely gave me a life skills and professional skills uh that will eventually help me go to law school. And uh she's just so well educated. She's great at what she does and um she really knows how to work with you one-on-one and with individualized learning.

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>> Yeah, Professor Mary Sims, she she's a longtime professor here. She's been here for I think almost 30 years. Um, she just retired this past spring and we had a retirement party for her in our library and it was obviously very well attended um by not only all of us who work here but some former students came, some of her family came, all of her um her siblings came and um there was a part where it was a kind of like an open mic where people just started going up and like sharing stories about Professor

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Sims and it was so sweet to hear. Different stories, but like they all kind of had the same theme of like she goes above and beyond. She is caring. She is there anytime, any day that you need her, whether it's, you know, like in working hours or not. And just like I think like her level of care for others was kind of in I took away as kind of like an overall theme of her as a person and how that threads throughout whether it's a student she's working with or a colleague or another professor or like

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her own brother. She cares and um she shows that in how she treats people. So I'm so glad you had to experience kind of the joy and like the you know you got to experience Professor Sims in that way. I think that's really neat. Um, and I know that we are certainly going to miss her. Um, but also very happy that she's gets to enjoy retirement. So, so Victoria, talk to me about kind of like your career path and the work that you're doing now and like what is um what is the work you're doing now?

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What's the role that you're in at committee of 70? And kind of if you had to tell people who didn't know what it was, kind of what would you say? Uh so the committee of 70 is a nonpartisan nonprofit. Uh we're aimed at increasing voter and civic engagement. Uh so part of my responsibilities of the committee of 70 was I was a policy and program coordinator. Um basically I was able to help coordinate events uh with local communities and stakeholders. Uh I even had the opportunity to do

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fundraisers uh meet important people of the community at the pillar of our community and um I also had the opportunity uh fantastic opportunity uh to go out and encourage more voters to uh vote for the election. >> That's great. How did you how did you get this job and um did you intern with them and then it turned into a job? Kind of explain because a lot of our students they want jobs and they want to be able to be successful. So, how did you go about getting this role?

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>> Uh, definitely uh my degree at Manor College with the public policy uh degree definitely did help. Um, it is great to be educated uh before you get there. I will also say that demonstrating your leadership skills and taking initiative outside the classroom is also very important. Uh, I did uh complete an internship uh with Jack Stollsteimer for district attorney uh which eventually helped me get that job as well. So a combination of like a degree, extracurricular leadership, and then also a little bit of a internship kind

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of who you know sounds like a combination of those things kind of led you to have this this role. So how would you say your work's going? Are you seeing a change in voters or more people getting registered? Kind of how would you assess how it's going? uh based upon our data that we had our recent data um we definitely did increase I believe it was by 60%. Um many of the voters did turn up and I hopefully uh maybe by next election cycle we eventually plan to be more than that. So >> well that's good. I mean for the for the

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face value that you're sharing that is really really good. We had um we had on campus last week. I don't know what day it is. That time of year, you're like, "What day is it? What week is it?" Um two weeks ago, we have we had a welcome back day here on campus. And welcome back day is a day where like all faculty and staff, everyone's back from like summer break and that kind of thing. And you're all back for one day. And um we hear from Dr. Perry and he kind of talks

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about kind of like the college and what's going on. And then we have some professional development things that we do. And one of the things that we did was we welcomed um our local state senator, Senator Art Haywood to campus and he was sharing about a little bit about voting and how if like there are so many young people particularly um college age. We're talking about how how important it is for college age people just to register to vote and that's something that obviously we want to

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support and and we have um some voter registration events on campus every year and we try to find the opportunities but he shared a stat and I I don't want to say it because I don't remember it fully and I always hate it when people share like kind of faulty stats but it was impressive about like if everyone under the age of 35 in Philadelphia registered and voted like they could control the vote because there's such a large population of them. And that to me was striking. And that to me when I was

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reading about you and preparing for today's interview, I thought to myself like that is such an important work that you're doing. Um, and it might feel like it's such a a big job like ah we're not going to move the needle, but I just wanted to encourage you and say like thank you for doing this work. I think it's really important. Um, and if there's any way that Manor College can work with you or work with your organization and try to get our students registered, um, I please definitely

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connect with me and I'll get you in touch with the right folks around here. But I just want to say thank you and I can see how important this work is. So I think it's really cool that you're in the role that you're doing right now. >> Oh, absolutely. We appreciate any time. More than willing. >> Yeah. So, Victoria, what do you see as kind of um your like career maybe next steps or career goals? What are some things that kind of on the horizon for you that you're looking forward to?

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>> Well, as of right now, I am enrolled at John's Hopkins University uh for public policy and data science. Um I hope to be complete that and do some more policy work uh more in the public sector and then I hope to go to law school. >> Wow. Oh, so you're in a master's program right now, >> correct? >> Right. And then law school. Wow. Okay. Well, you have some pretty incredible career goals that I have absolutely no doubt you're going to just crush. So, um I can't wait to keep

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following your journey and and that's really really exciting. So, what kind of law do you want to go into? >> Um I love tort law, uh car accidents, negligence, uh personal injury, uh things of that sort. Gotcha. You know, we I have to send you the link. We interviewed um a a lawyer on the show, an alumni of Manor. Um few weeks ago, I'm not sure when this show aired. Um but she is wonderful and she is a lawyer. I don't know if it's in personal injury or not. Um but I'm going

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to I'm going to find the link and I'll send it to you. We've had quite a few actually um students who have gone on to law school particularly through like the public policy or paralegal routes. Um so I think that's something that we definitely could get you connected to other Manor started but then turned into Manor lawyers. Um Helen Brooks she also graduated I don't know your paths went across. She graduated in 22 from Manor with a bachelor's degree, but she graduated in

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'09 from with paralegal. Um, so I don't know if your paths would have crossed in the in the more recent years, but I think she does work in personal injury actually as well. Um, so Victoria, what would be some advice that you would give to Manor students who are currently, you know, their students are coming back for classes next week? um college is hard and you know you just need a little bit of encouragement to get you along. What would you say for some advice for them? >> Uh don't be afraid to take initiative.

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Um if it's a matter of studying an extra hour or getting out there and getting yourself involved in a club, do it. Never be afraid. And uh don't shy away uh from something that you think you can do but you're not sure that you can do. Just try and do it. >> Okay? Have confidence. Just do it. Don't shy away from it. That that's great. Um, you know, we had new student orientation last week where all the freshmen come in and um I had the opportunity to moderate a panel and the panel was all students

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and I asked the students that same question. What advice would you give to these, you know, all freshman students and several of the student who were on the panel? you know, they're they're ambassadors, they're involved, they're people who like like you were when you were a student, and almost all of them said something almost identical to what you just said, like get involved. Even if you're shy and nervous, trust, you know, trust that it's going to be okay. Um kind of kind of fake it till you make

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it a little bit, which I think is great. I'm a big believer in that. So, um I think what you're saying totally rings true and I really hope that our students follow that advice. and and have a great Manor experience just like you did because it sounds like it it truly has paid off. Um, you know, not many of our graduates have two degrees from us that it's a growing population, but it's still, I would say, the minority population that has two degrees. So, kudos to you. um you're in

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a really special elite group and um it certainly takes a lot of hard work and dedication to to achieve that and um we wish you nothing but the best Victoria. Good luck in all of your uh career goals, your academic goals and we're here cheering you every step along the way. Thank you so much for being with us today. >> Absolutely. And you have a good one, Kelly. >> Thank you for tuning in today. If you like what you heard, listen and subscribe on Spotify or YouTube. And stay up-to-date with all new episodes by

00:19:22
following Manor College on Instagram at Manor College. And that's a wrap on another episode of The Nest. Stories about life after Manor College. Remember, Blue Jays, you belong here always.

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seeing like how things work, especially with um the the people that uh work here at um it to understand how they uh go around about things and being able to figure things out. It's really really interesting and I always try to like uh you know take notes and kind of like uh watch what they do so that I can like you know use that in the future. Hello Blue Jays and welcome to the nest stories about life after Manor College. I am your host Kelly Peiffer vice president of marketing communications

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and this is the best part of my day. My hope is that this podcast will encourage, inform, and inspire you. Making you feel like at Manor College you belong here always. Today's episode is sponsored by the Blue J Challenge Golf Outing. Hit the links for a cause. Join us for the Manor College Blue Jay Golf Challenge outing on October 13th at the Philmont Country Club. Support student athletes and enjoy a day of golf dinner and fun with special guest Philadelphia's favorite comedian Joe Conklin. Register now at manor.edu/golf.

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That's manor.edu/golf. We have a great show for you today. It is a pleasure to welcome to the show a Philadelphia native, a graduate of Northeast High School. Go Vikings. This guest is the youngest alumni we have had on the show to date. While studying at Manor College, he was not only a dedicated student, making the deans list multiple times, but also an accomplished athlete on our men's soccer team. He was a member of the ESAC all academic team in 2021. He also received the highly prestigious Brian Barry

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award. Currently working with the Manor College IT department and also being a team member at Target. It is my pleasure to welcome Wayne Nembhard to the nest. Hi Wayne. Hi. Hey. Thanks for joining us today. Thank you for having me. So Wayne, can you start us off by sharing with us how did you first hear about Manor College and why did you choose to attend? Um so I first heard Manor College I remember back in high school. I went to my um counselor and I saw that she had like a Manor flag in there. So I was

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like, "Oh, that seems like a pretty cool school." And plus there was a college fair that also had like you know the Manor stand. So I went over there checked out some of the programs and I was like oh I'm you know seeing a lot of uh options. And then I also did uh did a tour here and uh it's not and I that's when I realized that it's a lot closer to my house so it's not as far so it's really local and did the tour saw that they have a nice soccer field and I was like oh that's

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that's cool too. So and I was kind of like sold. I was sold. I was like yeah this is a school that I would uh like to attend. Well that's great. Wayne, your story that you just shared, that's like every admissions counselor's dream. Like, you saw our flag in the counselor office, you saw us at a college fair, you came for a tour, you were sold. That is like if every student could do that, we would be so so happy. Um, but I'm really glad that you were able to kind of put all those pieces together and obviously

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attend. Now, Wayne, you are our youngest um guest that we've had on the nest so far. We've had about 25 guests since launching the podcast earlier this year. You just graduated in May 2025. So, congratulations to you on graduating. That's such a huge milestone. Um, but what was your Manor experience like for you? What were you involved with? What were classes like? And kind of it wasn't that long ago obviously, but take us back. What was it like for you as a student? Um it was it was kind of nerve-wracking

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a little bit because definitely the um the switch into being college like when I first started uh my class I was like wow like I was really excited because just to be in that college feel and um and it was just and I liked how like the class sizes because with me being at Northeast a lot of the class sizes were kind of big. So, for it to be at like the smaller, it was it was really like good for me because then I can at least um I feel like I can um pay attention a lot better. So, and I can uh

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communicate with my teachers a lot easier. And uh yeah, and so some of the clubs I did um as you mentioned, I did play soccer and it was really fun like uh JD was amazing coach. So yeah, pretty much that's cool. That's cool. Um yeah, so it sounds like having that switch from maybe a larger high school where what was the average class size do you know in at Northeast? Was it like 40 50 kids in a class or was it bigger? Yeah, like I think around that like 40, right? So our average class size is

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around 12 to 13. So that's certainly a lot um more personalized. You can't really hide in that kind of setting. You know, the professors are going to know if you're there, if you're not, if you're paying attention and if you're struggling. Um and also you talked about the accessibility to faculty, being able to go up to them, chat with them, tell them what's going on in your life, and kind of just get that relationship. That's such a huge part, I think, of Manor's culture. Um, I

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like to say that like we we not only know your name, but we know something about pretty much every student on campus. We know part of their story, if not the whole story. Um, but we know certainly way more than just your name. So, that's something that I think makes Manor really unique and special. Um, so what was it like being a student athlete um on a collegiate level? That's a big deal and that's kind of like some a lot of people's dream is to play at that kind of level. What was that like

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for you? Um it was it was pretty fun like definitely and it definitely taught me scheduling when it came to um my school and plan cuz it was a little bit hard. But once I manage to build a schedule of okay, I'll do my assignments at this time and then so that I don't have to worry about it later when I go to uh practice and then I can just have after practice my time to rest and then the next day just kind of like rinse rinse and repeat. So definitely it helped when it came to building my schedule and um

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but yeah, it was fun like the the team it was it was fun. We had a blast, especially going to uh ESAC. So, yeah. Yeah. Were you a part of any of those ESAC championship teams? Yeah. Right. Yeah. That's awesome. You went to Virginia one year, right? Went to Pittsburgh this last year, I think. Um, right. Those kind of trips are always good bonding trips. That's awesome. Um, so, so Wayne, I do know that part of your academic journey, I mean, you were a bachelor degree student, so you were here for four

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years. Yes. Um, which, which is great. You know, every year we're seeing more and more bachelor degree students and it's really cool to see that growth because for us being a bachelor degree institution is still relatively new. We started those degrees in 2018, so it hasn't even been 10 years yet, but it's so cool to see that more and more students are staying for the four the four-year degree. Um, but in in those four years, um, you had a semester where grades were slipping, grades were not maybe what you wanted it

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to be. Um, but then you were able to kind of persist and work through it and get your grades up. Can you kind of tell me what was going on and kind of what made you like turn things around because that's hard to do? Yeah, definitely. Uh, I think the main thing was um family. My mom definitely told uh kept me focused and she told me she uh gave me a I can't remember but it was like a really good message but I can't remember it at this moment but it was she gave me a message and pretty

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much ever since then I always kind of like stuck to it. So and that helped me to um fix up uh my grades and whatnot. So yeah, and a lot of it was also communicating with my teachers. It was a big help and the tutoring as well. So yeah, a lot of that stuff was really helpful. That's great. I love that. I feel like you being able to turn it around. I mean, for a semester, you were getting D's and Fs, and then for the rest of your time at Manor, it was all A's and B's. That's pretty incredible. I

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mean, major kudos to you for doing that and and to your mom for being the encouragement that um you know that you needed, but I love how you shout you shouted out tutoring. I think tutoring is something that um everyone can utilize at Manor and I'm always encouraging others to go seek tutoring. Go get the help you need. There there should be no shame in that. There should be no stigma. You know what I mean? Like we're all here to succeed. Um, and whether you're going from a D to a C or

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you're trying to go from a B to an A or an A to like a better A, tutoring is here for you. So, certainly get the help you need. Um, because we have those services. It always pains me when I see students not doing well and you ask them like, well, did you go see tutoring? And they're like, no. It's like, well, come on, use the resources we have because we want to help you. So, that's amazing. I think that part of your journey really can will resonate with people. Um because not everything is

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always like cookie cutter picture perfect, right? Life is life is this up and down and there's es and flows. So um major kudos to you for persisting. A lot of people probably would have said, "All right, I'm just going to stop college and I'm going to go work and I'll figure it out later." But no, you persisted. So that's really impressive. Thank you. Um, so Wayne, talk us about talk to us about what you're doing in your career and kind of where your passion for computer science came from.

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What made you want to study computer science? So, um, growing up I was really like my dad, he had a uh business and it involves like technology and working with computers. So, I saw that and I remember just watching him fool around with like computers and I was like, "Oh, that seems pretty cool." And plus, like I'm like a movie fanatic, so I like watching uh movies. There was this uh one movie, I forgot the name of it, but it was where they um took a Xbox and made like a time machine out of it.

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So, I saw that and I was like, and it was, it's funny enough, it was like a bunch of college students. And I saw that and I was like, "Yo, that's like really cool." And you know, and ever since then, I kind of was just like had uh my uh like focus on when it came to like technology and whatnot. So, and plus I do play like a lot of uh video games during my downtime. So, Gotcha. Yeah. Okay. So, video games, movies, kind of having a natural bend for computer science and technology. That's That's

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cool. So, you're you're working right now in the Manor College IT department and um I know obviously you probably get a lot of password resets and those kind of things, the mail room copers jammed, you know, those kind of normal things that all of us who work here kind of deal with. Um what has been something interesting that you've learned so far from kind of working, you know, from going from being a student to working for the college? What's kind of been something interesting that you've kind

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of figured out? probably like how uh things work around here and I pretty much like everything because I didn't you know attending here I didn't really know much when it came to that stuff but seeing like how things work especially with um the the people that uh work here at um it to understand how they uh go around about things and being able to figure things out. It's really really interesting and I always try to like uh you know take notes and kind of like uh watch what they do so that I can

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like you know use that in the future. Yeah. Yeah. That's great. I always equate IT departments or IT people to like problem solvers. I feel like you guys are problem solving all day cuz no one comes to IT with not a problem. You know, everyone's always like this doesn't work. I'm struggling like it's never oh just hi you know what I mean it's always a problem to fix so you are professional problem solvers and that is a great skill to learn and that will translate into anywhere that you go

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um so talk to me about Target you're currently working for Target obviously Target is a huge corporation that many of us know um I personally love Target so much I'm a mom of three so Target is like a second home for me the drive up particularly is where I find myself most um week at least once on a weekend picking up diapers, milk, groceries, that kind of thing. Um but what is it like working for Target and kind of where do you see yourself growing in the future with your career? Um working at Target it's pretty it's

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pretty cool. um they have me like everywhere. So, it's definitely um definitely very interesting and I'm I am learning a lot and also um I'm I feel like I'm improving with my um de uh customer service skills. So, it's just a lot of stuff that um I'm like taking like small things and being like, "Okay, I could see how I could use this at like another like at another job." So, and it's pretty fun. It's pretty fun. Yeah, that's cool. Um, any I like asking this question about

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like busting any kind of myths or any debunking something that maybe we all have a misconception about. Any interesting myths that we could debunk about working at Target that maybe people think like I would think working at Target is pretty fun and cool, but maybe any myths that you feel like actually it's really this that you want to debunk for us? Um, I'll probably say like, so I've had some people come up to me and say like, "Oh, Target seems like a hard job to get into." I I don't think

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so because like I feel like there's definitely something that uh especially at the Target that I'm working at, I feel like it's definitely some room for people that can um definitely also grow and um be able to be able to uh work there as well. So that's just like that's just I think that uh is something. Yeah, that's cool. Well, Wayne, it certainly sounds like you are busy between the two jobs. Um where do you see your career going or what's like a goal that you have in mind for what you

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would like to see yourself do maybe in the next 5 years? um definitely try to find um a solid uh IT spot somewhere and be able to show some of the skills that I am learning from e from both pretty much from both jobs. So definitely yeah def I feel like that's definitely will be something. Yeah sure that's great. Well, make sure you're utilizing um the people that you're meeting at Manor in our IT department to maybe help leverage those further opportunities, but also our career services office. Um I know that's

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in a bit of transition right now, but once that office is fully staffed, you know, make that connection. Career services is an um is a service that's open to our alumni as well. So, you know, make sure that you meet the person and you tell them what what what you want to do, where you want to go, and they can also help you make those connections because a lot of kind of those first jobs is really getting your foot in the door. Um, and it is a little bit of like maybe who you know or who your boss knows and

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those kind of things. So, it's good that you are already getting yourself connected at several places. That's really good. So, so Wayne, thank you so much for spending time with us today. It's been really, really lovely chatting with you. One last question. What advice would you give to current Manor students? You were just in their spots. Um, but what advice would you give for them that kind of you're able to kind of maybe reflect upon now that you're a graduate? Um, I would say my

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advice is definitely stay focused on um stay focused on school definitely and time management. As soon as you get in, start um start to plan out things. Especially the one useful thing that I did was to take notes on my phone. like definitely take notes and have a a schedule up so that it's easier to um plan out your day and um that's pretty much it. Yeah, I mean that's great advice. Stay focused, time management, know how to manage your time. that's great advice. You can't go wrong

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with that. So, thank you Wayne so much. It was wonderful talking to you and I wish you nothing but the best. Thank you. Thank you for having me. You're welcome. Thank you for tuning in today. If you like what you heard, listen and subscribe on Spotify or YouTube. Stay up to date with all new episodes by following Manor College on Instagram at Manor College. And that's a wrap on another episode of The Nest Stories about life after Manor College. Remember Blue Jays, you belong here always.

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I think that for current matter students pursuing their education is vital especially in this day and age. We need to excel educationally. We need to learn. We have to remember that throughout life you don't stop learning. >> Hello Blue Jays and welcome to the nest stories about life after Manor College. I am your host, Kelly Peiffer, vice president of marketing communications, and this is the best part of my day. My hope is that this podcast will encourage, inform, and inspire you, making you feel like at Manor College

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you belong here always. Before we get to today's guest, it is time for a segment of the show I like to call, did you know? Where we will share some fun facts about Manor College that you may or may not know. Did you know that Manor College has two advertisements right now on the ever so famous Wildwood boardwalk in New Jersey? Wildwood is the place where it seems Philly people gravitate towards during the summer months and it is where we at Manor College have been advertising since 2021 on the boardwalk as a poster

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in their sun shelters. This year we have two really great ads. One featuring two of our Manor College alumni, Marta and Vera Penkalskyj. They are Ukrainian sisters who are also graduates of our sister school, St. Basil's Academy. And in the ad, it says, "You belong here in English and also translated in Ukrainian." Wildwood attracts many Ukrainians every summer for its very popular Ukrainian week, which is later in the year in August. Our other Sun Shelter poster features Manor College

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student athlete and a recent graduate Ronise Exile who was a middle distance runner on our track and field team. She was a pre- N nursing student and she came from Samuel Fels High School. We love seeing selfies with these ads all summer long. Our president, Dr. Perry, has made his way to Wildwood and has taken a selfie or two with the posters as well. making sure that vacation goers are always keeping Manor in mind. Today's episode is sponsored by Manor College's bird feed. Did you know that

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some Manor College students struggle with food insecurity? Manor College is proud to be an official PA hunger-free campus. Our bird feed food pantry provides a vital lifeline offering non-p perishable food and toiletries to those in need. But we can't do it without you. Your donation of canned goods, dry goods, or financial contributions help us stock the shelves and ensure that no one on campus goes hungry. Learn how you can help by visiting manor.edu/birdfeed. That's manor.edu/birdfeed.

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We have a very special guest joining us today. A true northeast Philly native. She's a proud graduate of Archbishop Ryan for the girls. Go Rag dolls. After high school, she earned her associates degree in administrative secretarial from Manor College in 1986. While at Manor, she was an active student serving as the treasurer of Alpha Beta Gamma. She was also a first generation college student, making her achievements all the more impressive. After graduating from Manor, she continued her education, later earning

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her bachelor's from Holy Family University and a master's degree from LaSalle University. She's retaught here now and her new full-time job is being a caretaker for her beloved children. Her dedication to Manor College has continued to grow for years and we are so happy to announce that she is a current board member on our Manor College Board of Trustees. She was also the recipient of the 2023 Evening with Manor Gala Award. Please join me in giving a warm welcome to Stasia Mento Maloney. Welcome Stasia.

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>> Hi, Kelly. How are you? >> I'm doing great. Thank you for joining us today and talking to me. It is always a pleasure anytime we get to spend time together. >> Oh, thank you for asking. >> So, can let's start off with why how did you hear about Manor and why did you choose to attend? >> I heard about Manor through ads. I did not want to go to a four-year college. I wanted to go into secretarial. Manor was the best fit for me >> because there weren't many schools that

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were two years and there weren't many schools that would go into the secretarial field. >> Mhm. >> So, and also my parents really wanted me to go to college. >> So, I decided that this it was either this or it was no college at all. >> Gotcha. Why do you think your parents really wanted you to go? Was it because they didn't have the same opportunity? >> Yes. Because neither one of them graduated from college. My father didn't graduate from high school. He went into

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the military >> um when he was 17. >> Wow. >> So, it was very important for him. >> Yeah. >> To see his children go off to college. >> Of course. Of course. And that makes perfect sense. Um, being first generation is so incredible because not only is it really meaningful for the person, but it's also for the entire family. You're setting a new trend in the family, a new standard. Um, so I could see how that would really be important and and you as the as the

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student or as the child or the daughter feels some kind of pressure like I gotta I gotta do this for my mom and dad, not just for me, you know. >> That's right. which is really impressive. Um 65% of our Manor students today are first generation college students. So that's still a really big population that we serve on campus. Um and I I just love that so much. I'm always so proud of our first gen students. Um, something that they do at graduation, which is fairly new, but it's really really cool, is

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that if you're a first generation college graduate, they wear these white like stools and they really pop against like the um black regalia that they wear. And it's just so cool to see, you know, students are processing in and you just see these white stoalls, you know, filtering through and you just think about like the people behind them, cheering them on, helping them pay for college, and just all the things that go into a family. And I often find that the first gen graduates as they walk across

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the stage, they get the loudest cheers. I feel like their parents, their families, there's a lot of them. They're loud. They're excited. And I I just love it. That's one of my favorite like times and days of um the entire year for us as like staff who kind of see these students day in and day out. >> Yes. And you saw them grow. >> Yeah. Oh gosh. Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Saw them grow and you just see what it means for their families. It's really cool. >> Um so what was your Manor experience

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like and uh kind of take us back to what it was like to be a student when you were here? When I went to Manor, it was it was one of my best times in my life actually. It was I did my best in school. I got the best grades even from high school. Um the atmosphere was wonderful. The teachers, they could do nothing less than help you. Um there's two teachers in particular that really stand out which was Esther Goldman. She was my stenography teacher >> and my typing teacher and then Joe

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Stenberger and he was the um religion teacher and they just it was a great experience. >> Oh that's great. Um, I love it when when when alumni say that like they like thrived at Manor and they saw a difference between like their high school selves to their their Manor College selves and um why do you think that was? Why do you think it was your one of your best times and you really um just excelled academically? What do you attribute that to? >> It was a smaller school and you could be

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a little bit more yourself. you weren't in uni. I went to Archbishop Ryan and you had uniforms on and it was large when I went. Um I think our graduating class had over 500 kids at least >> and it was just smaller and you could have a better conversation with the teachers. I think there's a different level when you're in college than high school. You can have different conversations with teachers. >> Right. Right. The level of maturity, professionalism, but also that smaller atmosphere that

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really helps you get to know people and for them to know you. >> Um, that's great. It really kind of let you open up and kind of have that adult experience in a college setting, which is really cool to hear. I love that so much. >> So, tell us about your career. you um you went on and got a couple other degrees, but then you went into a career in in counseling. Kind of tell us why was that your path and what made you passionate about counseling? >> Well, I started out as a secretary for

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several years. Um I started out at a little firm and then I worked my way into general instrument as a secretary and then eventually worked my way up a little bit in general instrument and Motorola took them over. Um, then I just felt like I wanted to help people. And I guess one of those reasons was because everybody would come to my cube and sit down and tell me their problems. That was one of the reasons. And I'm like, >> I I guess I have that face. >> And they would just tell me all their

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problems and I would help them. And I'm like, I really think I want to go into psychology >> and be more of a helper to people. >> That's awesome. >> So, I guess it was several years after I graduated from Manor because I graduated from Holy Family in 2005. >> Mhm. >> And then in 2012, I graduated from Lel. >> Right. But you were working, you know, that whole time. >> I worked the whole time. >> Yeah. You know, and I find that um a lot of people are doing that. They're

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they're working and they're getting degrees and it's not really just like you're just doing one thing at a time. You're juggling wearing many hats, right? But I love that you said people were coming and telling me their problems and I was trying to help them and um kind of had a natural knack for that. So, >> I think that's really cool that you're able to kind of fulfill that in a in a career sense. That's wonderful. Um, so I mean today I know that you are a board member um for

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our trustees which is which is really special and wonderful and you are the alumni representative on the trustees which is I think extra extra special um kind of because you have that like 360 experience of like I was a student and now I'm I'm kind of on the other side of it which is pretty neat. Why did you decide to join the board? Um, and what has it been like being a board member? >> I decided to join the board after I spoke to President Perry uh several times and I felt that I could help the students. I could help

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the other board members. I could offer a perspective that was different from some of the typical board members that are in business. I come with a counseling background. I come with um an alumni background. >> And I can speak to more of the students. >> Yeah, >> definitely. I in knowing you for a number of years now, when I think of when I think of Stasia as a board member, the word advocate comes to mind, like you are certainly an advocate for um support services here at the college,

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whether that be counseling, whether that be mental health, whether that be um LGBTQ services, um our food pantry, and like the list goes on and on and on and like all the things that like we want to surround our students with um so it's not just like academics but we want to support them holistically. I think of you as like the advocate on the board to making sure that we're offering it, we're doing it properly and we're getting the support that we need and the resources to kind of pay it forward, you

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know. >> Yes. And I think that's important and I think that Manor offers that to their students. Mhm. >> You know, just when we receive emails from President Perry, I think to myself, what president does this? >> He's a very connected individual with the students and I see how they respect him >> and I'm proud to be a part of an institution like that. >> Yeah, that's great. Well, thank you so much for serving in that way. I know it's um it's a dedication. It's a

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service for sure. It takes time. It takes energy. You guys have long board meetings and discussions and you're on subcommittees and um it is work in a sense but I'm really grateful that you um are have chosen to give of yourself in that way to us because it's really it's really wonderful for us to have your support in in that. >> Yeah. Um so a question that I like to ask is um about like busting a myth about your career. So, you were a counselor. Um, what's something that

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maybe people assume about counseling or about um that profession that you're like, "No, that's not right. I want to I want to, you know, set the record straight." What's a myth that we can bust about counseling? >> I think a myth is the counselors give advice and we don't give advice. We try to help the client work out what they need to do to get to where they want to be because giving advice is not the right thing. >> It's it's you could lead them down the

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wrong path. >> Yeah. They need to come to their own conclusions and it's a balancing act of not giving them advice but having them find the advice inside themselves. >> Right. That's a good one for sure. Um that's really good. And helping people find the solutions like guiding them to solutions and opportunity as opposed to you just saying this is what you should do. Um, I have to admit I think I I had that wrong as well. I thought that counselors just

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like gave advice and told them what they should do opposed to what you're saying. So, thank you for straightening that out for me. Um, so, so Stacia, what would be some advice that you would give to current Manor students? Why um why is Manor a good option for them? But also if they're a current student, like why should they continue pursuing their education? >> I think that for current matter students, pursuing their education is vital, especially in this day and age. We need to excel

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educationally. We need to learn. We have to remember that throughout life, you don't stop learning. You know, I'm learning what my parents knew. My parents learned what their parents knew. So, it's a constant it's a revolving door. Mhm. >> And just if you decide that you want to go four years to Manor, look into going to another four years or two years at getting a master's degree. >> Mhm. >> And it will help you as a person, >> better yourself, and gain more knowledge

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>> because I think that's what we need to do. >> Yeah. I like what you said how education is vital. Um particularly in today's day and age, but you know even you know 30 40 years ago the education is vital. It's still changing family trees. Um >> you know and it's really it's powerful education something that people can't take away from you. Um you know you always will have it with you and it's something that really can can change

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your life. So I think that's really important. something that I I want to kind of ask as kind of a final question is um you you were honored from Manor College with um we have every year evening with Manor gala and every year we have a a recipient who's made a really large impact on our community and in 2023 you were the honored. Um what did that mean for you and kind of maybe take us back to what that what that kind of was for you? Honestly, I was blown away because I had no clue that I was going to be asked to

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be the the honored because I thought I don't I I think we don't think we do what we do >> and it was a wonderful experience and it brought me closer to wanting to do more for Manor. It was a very nice experience. >> Yeah, it was it was a beautiful it was a beautiful time. Um it was a um like a in-person event. There was, you know, food, drinks, music, speeches. Um what I remember the most and I was um the person who kind of produced most of the the event along with our marketing team

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and our advancement team, but uh was your family. We um we made this video of tributes of all of Stasia's kind of close family and friends and they shared a few words about Stasia and we went around filming them at their homes and at their workplaces. One of your friends was was going to on a flight somewhere and we grabbed her before she flew somewhere and um it was so cool to to see and meet all your friends kind of behind your back which was kind of kind of interesting. But then um we put

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together this big tribute video and to watch watch you and your husband Dan um watch this tribute to you and I mean like welling up with tears and it was so special to kind of like see the impact you've made not only on to Manor but to so many others. Um, that's something that I really remember well from that night and just how loving your family was and is. Um, and how much they admire and look up to you and um, it really shows what you do at Manor is not just in a silo here at Manor. It's it's

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spreading out to lots of other people, lots of other ways. Um, and I think that's important. You know, something that I I like to connect if and when I can is how our alumni and our graduates are really like embodying our mission and living out our mission. Um, and I think I I I know you stage certainly are. You know, the last line in our mission says that Manor graduates are prepared to serve society effectively and compassionately. And and I have no doubt in my mind that you are doing that and you will continue to do

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that. Um because that's just kind of who you are and I think that's a beautiful thing. >> Oh, thank you. I I had no clue that my family was going to say anything that they said >> that night. >> I just kind of get up and I do my thing every day, >> right? >> And that's it. >> Right. Well, little by little it has, you know, a big impact. You know, those little things every day kind of add up to a lot. So, um well, Stasia, thank you for joining us today. It's been

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wonderful to chat with you and hear more of your story. Um, and we wish you nothing but the best. >> Well, thank you so much for having me. I I enjoyed it. >> Thank you for tuning in today. If you like what you heard, listen and subscribe on Spotify or YouTube and stay up to date with all new episodes by following Manor College on Instagram at Manor College. And that's a wrap on another episode of The Nest, Stories about life after Manor College. Remember Blue Jays, you belong here always.