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Month: May 2017

Student Success: Connor Brown

Connor has been enthusiastic about software engineering ever since he was nine years old.

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Connor has been enthusiastic about software engineering ever since he was nine years old. Therefore, it’s no surprise his passion led to a college degree in this field. Connor majored in computer information technology and minored in information security at Northern Kentucky University (NKU). He began working for Education at Work in July of 2016, and was quickly promoted to supervisor, which enabled him to lead a team of students for our payroll processing client.  Within this position, Connor supported his students with job skill development, counseling on how to think about professional career choices and advice on how to balance school and work.  Connor describes his opportunity with EAW as, “a campus-like organization within a campus, assisting in the transitional phase from college classroom to the professional workforce.”

Despite success both professionally and academically, the adversity Connor has faced throughout college is another contributing factor to his current success. Connor suffers from a heart condition, yet he doesn’t let this obstacle hinder his achievements. He faced this challenge, combined with challenges at work and school, with courage and perseverance. As a result of his adversity, he has found a passion for impacting others’ lives and encouraging people in similar situations. He has been involved in on-campus activities such as Rooted, a campus resource for student support.

During his tenure with EAW, Connor earned a total of $6,000 towards his degree at NKU. In addition to the wages and tuition support, Conner is grateful for the mentorship he got from his EAW leadership team. Post-graduation, Connor was hired as an IT supervisor for a rapidly growing Cincinnati-based organization. He will be truly missed for how he has lived out our mission and values. The EAW team wishes him well in his future endeavors.

Student Success: Molly Pulsfort

Molly joined EAW in July of 2015. She is a sophomore at NKU majoring in computer information technology.

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Molly joined Education at Work in July of 2015. She is a sophomore at Northern Kentucky University (NKU) majoring in computer information technology with a minor in computer forensics. Molly has already acquired an immense amount of knowledge and skill in her position as a configuration specialist for one of EAW’s clients. These skills include: communication, professionalism, networking, team collaboration, problem solving, critical thinking, data analysis, and software maintenance.  We know these skills will set her apart from her competition during her post-graduation job search.

Molly expects to graduate from NKU in May of 2019. She will be seeking work as a website coder or designer. In addition to building her skills at EAW, Molly has been succeeding academically as well. Her high GPA has earned her $9,000 in tuition support so far. Molly says she is approaching her school and work life with joy because she is benefitting from tuition support and learning job skills. She has been on the Dean’s list every semester since starting at EAW.

In addition to her successes in the classroom, Molly says her job on campus has led to more campus involvement. Working on campus means Molly is hanging out more frequently in the Student Union engaging with her peers, instead of heading home directly after class. She has even joined a few on-campus groups such as Women in Informatics, immersing herself further in campus culture. Post-graduation, Molly plans to find a local web development job and help create the first fully functional 3D website. We are proud of Molly for all of her accomplishments and are pleased to have students like her on our team! Thanks for living out our mission, Molly!

Student Success: Ryan Cash

After graduating high school, Ryan enlisted in the Air Force and served for two years.

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After graduating high school, Ryan enlisted in the Air Force and served for two years. His decision to serve in the military stemmed from his concern about college expenses and overall readiness for this step. Through joining the Air Force, Ryan thought it would serve as a bridge step to college. During Ryan’s two years of service, holding a low wage labor intensive job, he realized the importance of getting a college education. After returning home he told himself, ‘If you are getting out early, you are going to go to school and you are going to graduate.’ So he did, as a first generation college graduate in his family.

Ryan’s background in the Air Force sets him apart from most students here at Education at Work (EAW). He believes his focused mindset and diligent work ethic is a living testament to his military service. Throughout his college experience, Ryan has maintained full-time employment and full-time semester status. EAW’s tuition assistance has significantly helped relieve his financial burden. In the six semesters he has been at EAW, Ryan earned $10,152 in tuition assistance and only needed to supplement it with one tuition loan! By way of comparison before coming to EAW, Ryan’s loan dependence was 70% of the expense.

His experience as an EAW IT manager afforded him the opportunity to gain an internship at Ernst & Young (EY), one of the largest accounting firms in the nation. Ryan has accepted a full-time position with EY as a risk assurance auditor post-graduation from the University of Cincinnati. His responsibility will be to analyze company controls for stockholders to ensure correct standards are met.

Ryan chose EY because he will be assisting the launch of a program here in Cincinnati called “College Map.” This program allows him to visit high schools in low-income areas and target students with a GPA of 2.1-2.7 who are not as likely to pursue higher education. Ryan’s role is to mentor and motivate young people and help instill confidence in their personal and professional goals.

Ryan’s experience with Education at Work has come full circle. We believe Ryan is a strong candidate for any employer in his field of expertise. Ryan credits EAW for providing the opportunity to continuously grow his skillset, take on new responsibilities, and build a strong resume that took him to the next level in his profession.

Everyone here at Education at Work commends Ryan for his service to our country, his motivation to seek higher education and opportunity, and his successes here at EAW. Ryan played a meaningful role in our IT department, creating process and delivering key projects. From all of us here at EAW, we salute you, Ryan! Congratulations on your future role at EY, we wish you many more successes, challenges, and opportunities in the future.

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