Biography
I grew up in Pittsburgh and, un-adventurously, went to the college down the street, Carnegie Mellon University. I encountered professors whose homes I’d visited and had one professor who had taught my mother. I planned to major in math and become a high school teacher. As my one first-year elective, I took Introduction to Psychology and then decided to major in psychology too.
I was interested in non-cognitive factors affecting school performance, and a professor suggested I look at the social psychology graduate program at Northwestern. He thought it would be just the place for me because of its outstanding research and friendly environment.
He was right. Evanston soon felt like home. Partly this was because I was joining my boyfriend (now my husband), Rob. Also important, though, was the stimulating and supportive atmosphere. The social psych faculty and grad students formed a cohesive team. This was well captured in a graduate seminar whose official name I forget, but I thought of it as “How to Combine Being an Academic with Other Things You Want To Do in Your Life.” (We got course credit for this!)
Evanston has been an excellent place to combine my professional career with other things I want to do. I worked on my dissertation while my oldest child was a baby and had a part-time research position while mothering a two-year-old plus baby #2. After four years in San Francisco, we returned to Evanston, where Rob joined the Northwestern faculty and I became a full-time mom of three. A few years later, the psychology department offered me a six-month, part-time teaching position, and I took it.
I stayed for much more than six months, teaching mostly social psychology and research methods courses and serving as Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies. My department roles led to an interest in College-level opportunities and, amazingly, when I decided I’d like to work as a College-level adviser in WCAS, I was invited to join the advising team. When the College transitioned to a new advising structure, I transitioned to doing more administrative work.
Although conducting research was not an official part of my job, I sometimes “tagged along” on a colleague’s research and also coordinated some in-house assessment projects. My Northwestern training has played a role in volunteer activities too. For example, I worked on evaluating the school-based health center at the high school. This community service has been another way to combine my academic interests with other things I want to do.
I retired in 2016, but am still very much connected to the University. Sometimes I walk to campus to lunch, or walk home, with colleagues who have become good friends. I have worked on projects in the Provost’s office and WCAS, and Rob and I continue to attend plays and concerts on campus. I also have connections through my three children who, together, have two undergraduate degrees, a master’s degree, and an MD from Northwestern.