For episode no. 39 of the #InVinoFab podcast, we’re joined by guest Valerie Heruska. Valerie lives by the words of the great philosopher, Bruce Springsteen: “You can’t start a fire without a spark.” As a fellow native of New Jersey, herself, Val has been impacted and inspired by Bruce to find her own spark by trying new things and igniting her own passions in life. 

Valerie is a higher education professional based out of Buffalo, NY. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Penn State, a Masters degree in Higher Education Administration from George Washington University, and is currently completing a Master’s Certificate in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University. Besides learning, her other interests include hiking with her dog, Jersey, exploring State Parks, baking biscotti, experimenting with new coffee flavors, and hopes to one day travel to Italy to become a certified barista.

We talked about finding out where your strengths fit in the world of work, and how she made the leap from living on campus to working in assessment for campus evaluation. Val shared about her process of informational interviewing, getting peers in the ed tech industry to review her resume, how to highlight/connect both experience and transferable skills, and identifying an organization that shares her interests/values for creating a culture of assessment. It was fun to hear about Valerie’s career pivot, lessons she’s still learning, and her fun laugh. We hope you enjoy our conversation, and we’ve left you a few bits and pieces from our chat:   

-In Loco Parentis https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/in_loco_parentis

-Living Learning Communities/Programs https://www.aacu.org/publications-research/periodicals/living-learning-programs-one-high-impact-educational-practice-we  

-Association of College and University Housing Officers - International (ACUHO-I) https://www.acuho-i.org/home/portalid/0 

-National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) https://www.nrhh.nacurh.org/ 

-Considering a Career in Student Affairs? http://www.myacpa.org/considering-career-student-affairs 

-Campus Labs https://www.campuslabs.com/

-Shout out to friends @ Ellucian https://www.ellucian.com/ & Roompact: https://roompact.com/ 

-Socially Just Assessment Podcast https://www.campuslabs.com/socially-just-assessment/podcasts/ 

-Campus Intelligence (Journal): https://www.campusintelligence.com/

-How emerging technology is shaping higher ed https://www.educationdive.com/news/summer-reading-how-emerging-technology-is-reshaping-higher-ed/560053/ 

-From VR and AR to Our XR Future: Transforming Higher Education https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2018/8/from-vr-and-ar-to-our-xr-future-transforming-higher-education 

-Flying Saucer Draught Emporium https://www.beerknurd.com/

-Follow Val’s doggo, Jersey, on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jersey.pup/

-Val runs on Dunkin’ Donuts https://www.dunkindonuts.com/

-Laura has moved on from the Double Doubles of Tim Hortons https://timhortons.com/ 

“I Likert data and my job a lot.” ~ @ValerieHeruska

BOOK: The Dropout Podcast https://abcradio.com/podcasts/the-dropout/ Story of Elizabeth Holmes & Theranos

BOOK: The National Team: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41104136-the-national-team 

DRINK: Sours beer season! Sour Cherry & Lime at Buffalo Beer Works https://www.communitybeerworks.com/ 

Resurgence Brewing: Sponge Candy Stout-  https://www.resurgencebrewing.com/2016/03/18/celebrate-international-stout-day-with-sponge-candy-stout/

Want to get in contact or connect with Valerie? Please do!

Twitter: https://twitter.com/valerieheruska 

Website: https://www.valerieheruska.com/ 

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