Eagle Tales: Helping Grad Students Write Their AU Stories

I've worked at AU for 17 years. Before that, I worked for the Lambda Literary Foundation and the Falls Church News-Press.

My job is to recruit for CAS's more than 40 graduate programs-a role that allows me to interact with over 1,000 applicants each year. A typical day includes a little of everything, from events management to strategic communication to counseling applicants. My office is in Battelle-Tompkins.

My favorite place on campus to steal a quiet moment is Woods-Brown Amphitheater. My go-to lunch spot is TDR for salad and cheese pizza.

I show my AU spirit by doing my job well and helping to both find good students and convince the right students that they are going to thrive here. Campus is at its prettiest right after Campus Beautification Day. I like the fact that we have a green campus that's all spruced up. The most famous face I've seen on campus is my literary icon, Mary Gaitskill, who was part of the Visiting Writers Series.

The person who helped show me the ropes was Kathy Clowery, who was the director of graduation admissions who hired me. She retired a few years ago, but she was my mentor. I found my community at AU through the MFA program. There's a really strong network for students in the program, and I work with several faculty who were my professors or fellow writers.

My favorite day of the workweek is Friday, which includes happy hour. My work-from-home rituals include coffee and having my two cats nearby. My go-to order at the Bridge is nitro cold brew.

When I'm not at work, you can find me at One More Page Books or Northside Social in Falls Church. My hobbies include playing board games, reading, watching promenade theater, and writing. I've published a short story collection called Daydreamers and my novel, You Don't Belong Here, was published last summer. I'm currently working on figuring out book three. I do my writing at a Starbucks.

The last two great books I read wereCapote's Women by Laurence Leamer and The Body is a Temporary Gathering Place by Andrew Bertaina, CAS/MFA '09. The last great show I watched wasDelicious in Dungeon, an anime series. The last great meal I ate was sushi at Maneki Neko in Falls Church. My most Washington moment was attending Capital Pride.

If I wasn't at AU, I'd be a social worker or full-time writer. But my job at AU is best because of the community I've been part of for almost two decades. I like the values and the ethics, and I love the people here. This institution would not be what it is without the dedicated faculty, staff, and students who maintain that ethos.