“I’m from Chicago and in many ways coming to Georgetown feels like returning home. I always went to Catholic schools, and I attended a Jesuit high school—St. Ignatius College Prep. After going to college at the University of Missouri, I spent one year working in D.C., then Brown for graduate school, a brief stint in Santa Barbara, then my first professor job at University of Oklahoma.
I lived in D.C. during 9/11 and it was a rough year for me, especially because one of my good friends, Vanessa Kolpak (COL ’01) passed away in New York City. She was a Georgetown alum, and I visited her here once. I always associated Georgetown with Vanessa, and when a job opened up here years later, it felt right. It was ten years since 9/11 and I felt ready to return to D.C. I love being at a place that not only connects me back to my Catholic school education, but also connects me to a Hoya who is so special to me.
My first year at Georgetown, I was so overwhelmed. Georgetown students, faculty, staff, even Jack the Bulldog, move and shake at a super fast pace. I wondered if I could keep up with the productivity of my colleagues, and the students were just so ambitious. But, slowly but surely, I stopped seeing Georgetown’s energy as trolling me, and instead decided it can inspire me. Everyone I talked to was feeling the same way, so I started to realize the importance of pacing myself and I think that has made all the difference.”
