Staff Spotlight: Amy, Program Manager
Tell Us About Yourself
My mother is American-Irish, and my father is Jewish. He is an Orthodox Jew, so I’ve had an interesting upbringing. Those two cultures together have really shaped a lot of who I am personally.
Professionally, I’ve been in education for over 20 years. I kind of accidentally slipped into education after working in the legal field for a while, and there are actually a lot of similarities between the two fields.
What Inspired Your Career in Education?
I started college at age 14. I was really fortunate to be able to do dual enrollment with my school district, and I explored a lot of different areas. I thoroughly enjoyed education and being immersed in lots of different opportunities.
I went into pre-law, really enjoyed my time there, and worked with some troubled youth. I made a lot of connections to my personal life. I was, at one point in my life, involved in online education through dual enrollment, and it became a huge blessing when both of my parents became incarcerated when I was a teenager and I became homeless. If it weren't for online education and special opportunities, I wouldn't have finished my schooling.
So I knew that I wanted to work with troubled youth. I knew that I wanted to work with disadvantaged youth. I found the best way to do that is through education and through online education, to give students opportunities that they might not otherwise have and get them to where they want to be in their unique situations.
How Did You Join Hudson Global Scholars?
I don't ever remember applying for a job at Hudson Global Scholars, which is kind of funny. I remember getting a call over the summer in 2020 asking if I would be interested in a few different positions working in curriculum.
I have quite a bit of curriculum analysis experience, but also teaching experience. In true Amy fashion, I said, "Can I just do both? Can I just teach and work in curriculum?" The answer ended up being yes.
So I worked in the curriculum department for a couple of years, and I taught for a couple of years. Then I got a great opportunity to become the coordinator of the student orientation experience.
I just love it all. I love working with adults, I love working with students, and I still get my student fix as I do orientations. At the same time, I get to do a lot of what I love as far as management and oversight, making sure that the relationship with the schools is just fabulous. We've seen so much growth.
It's so rewarding to have both parts, working with the adults at the schools but also working with the students. I kind of slipped into curriculum, but found my perfect fit where I am now in program management.
What Does Your Role Involve?
I get to work with leaders at schools, primarily in the United States now, who are looking to offer students something that the school cannot directly offer.
It may be that they're struggling to find a teacher to fill a position, or it may be that they're not accredited to offer certain courses. At Hudson Global Scholars, we find a teacher for those students and are able to give them opportunities that the school really couldn't provide.
I'm there to make sure everything goes well, that the instructional part goes well, that administrators are supported, and that they have everything they need to monitor student progress and performance.
I'm also there to ensure they are satisfied with their experience from beginning to end and that they want to partner with us again the following year.
We also work with students during orientation. When students join us, they need somebody there to start their journey with them. They need to feel supported from day one, know how to use all the different systems we use, and understand how to turn in their work.
Learning new platforms can be tough. There's a huge correlation between students getting that in-person attention at the beginning of their course and their success at the end of the course.
We want them to have a real person, not just a video to watch or something AI-guided, but somebody they can ask questions and somebody who can support them along the way.
What Surprises People About Your Job?
Maybe the fact that, in program management, we are often the only client-facing people from HGS who work with schools after the sales process.
When things go really well, we get the compliments, and we get to pass them on to other people and celebrate them. When things don't go so well, we get the complaints, and we get to be a resource that helps the school reach a positive resolution.
We're often the face they see and the voice they hear for everything that happens in the relationship. We work as a hub with other teams to celebrate successes or solve challenges.
It's nice to be that one point of contact and help guide schools through the process so they're never confused about who they need to go to. They get one person throughout the entire partnership, and that's super rewarding too.
If You Could Swap Jobs for a Day, What Would You Do?
If it were with someone else within Hudson Global Scholars, I would probably choose Jenny. Jenny works in professional development. I've worked in professional development for most of my career, and I really miss it. Being in that role again for a little while would be super fun.
Outside of HGS, I think I would say Snow White.
I love my position as a homemaker and caretaker. I have five kids, I help my parents out a lot, and I love to cook, bake, clean, and take care of my people and make sure our home is in order.
I think I could totally be Snow White for a day.
Who Inspired You as a Student?
My elementary school principal is still my favorite educator.
When I went to elementary school, he would speak to every student every morning. Somehow, he knew every student's name, probably 600 kids in the school.
He stopped to spend time with every student in the mornings and during the lunch line. He would point out what made them special, what their value was, and what their worth was.
He gave everybody attention, made sure everybody felt good about themselves, and celebrated their successes.
I remember being in first grade, and he would stand in the lunch line with me with his fountain pen and cafeteria napkins. He would write down words and ask me to spell them aloud. Then he'd show me the napkin so we could check if I was correct.
Sometimes he would write really challenging words, and I would tell him what they meant.
To me, that was just the coolest thing.
He did that with everybody based on what they were good at. He found value in every child and made sure they knew what it was, too.
I'm still in contact with him. He's in his late seventies now, retired, has a wonderful family, and is still passionate about learning.
What Would You Tell Your Younger Self?
I think I would tell myself: just do your best and give yourself some grace.
I remember being in school and thinking that I had to be the best at everything or I just wasn't good enough.
None of that was ever true.
Nobody cares what I made on my science test in fourth grade. Nobody cares that I didn't win the spelling bee in middle school. Nobody cares about my valedictorian status.
It didn't shape who I was. It didn't make me better than anybody else. It didn't take me further in life than anyone else.
I did my absolute best, I knew what I prioritized, I knew what I found valuable, and I followed those passions.
The human contact, the people I met, and the experiences I had are what shaped me as a person.
You don't have to be the absolute best at everything. Do your best, and if you happen to rank highest, that's wonderful. But don't beat yourself up. There's so much more to life and so much more to success than every little thing you come across in school.
What Superpower Would You Choose?
I think I would want to read people's minds.
I know that comes with the possibility of negatives, and I have a big heart, so there is always the possibility of getting my feelings hurt.
But I think there are a lot of people in the world who need help.
Oftentimes, people are not readily willing to say what they need help with, whether it's something to do with education or personal struggles.
If I could read someone's mind and know what would help them the most, and then help them get that support, whether it improved their wealth, their feeling of success, or simply their quality of life, I would love to do that.
People don't always share when they need something. I'd like to know what it is.
Where Would You Travel?
I would probably go to Arthurdale, West Virginia.
Arthurdale was developed as a self-sustaining community as part of the New Deal, and Eleanor Roosevelt helped develop it in the late 1920s and early 1930s.
A lot of my family lived there. Families had to apply, be interviewed, and be accepted into the community. They had to demonstrate how they would contribute to the self-sustaining lifestyle.
I think I would really enjoy living more of a Depression-era lifestyle where somebody has chickens, somebody has cows, somebody does the sewing, somebody does the gardening, and everybody trades and takes care of each other.
We cook at home, make our clothes at home, and contribute to the community.
I could totally be that person.
It's fascinating because so much of my family comes from there. I can see the schoolhouse my grandparents attended, the house where my grandmother was born, and so much family history. There are lots of really cool things there.
How Do You Recharge?
I think the thing that recharges me most is cleaning my house.
It sounds silly, but I have five kids. It's not just five kids in the house either. It's their friends, classmates, and teammates, so my house is full of kids all the time.
I'll never say my house is clean. We don't live in a museum. We actually live here. We touch things. We make messes.
But cleaning up at the end of the day or on the weekends, getting things back in order, getting everything bright and shiny again, all the fresh laundry smells and clean dishes, that immediate gratification of turning a disaster into something nice and neat and good-smelling, I really enjoy that.
If I could take 30 minutes at the end of the day to mop my floors, clean the kitchen counters, wipe down the appliances, and fold some laundry, I'm a happy person. I'm ready to go.
Who Would You Invite for Coffee?
Maybe Jay Gatsby.
He seemed to have it all: wealth, good looks, and the ability to buy anything he wanted or travel anywhere he wanted.
But there was a big piece of his heart and soul missing that he was searching for.
I think it humbles us to remember that it can look like people have everything.
But if they don't have that human touch, those meaningful relationships, or something that money and artificial intelligence can't provide, then we're not whole people.
How Are You Involved in Your Community?
In the last year or so, I've become involved through food ministry.
I live in a very rural area, and there are many families who experience food shortages.
I've been able to spend time working with food ministries to make sure families receive food and that children aren't going hungry or wondering where their next meal will come from.
Some children go home from school and don't know what they're going to eat over the weekend, or if they'll eat at all.
Summer can be especially difficult, although there are programs through the school system to help.
But it's not just a summer issue; it's a year-round issue.
I've been able to spend some of my time and resources helping ensure that everybody has dinner on their plate every day.
How Does Community Connect to Your Role?
As the coordinator of student orientation, I get a chance to coordinate that first opportunity for students to learn about the community.
Some students know about it through word of mouth, but many brand-new students have no idea it exists.
I get to host an orientation where students discover the student community before they even begin focusing on assignments and coursework.
They get excited when they realize there are clubs, events, leadership opportunities, and ambassador roles.
Before the classwork becomes overwhelming, they get to see that there are other people who will support them.
And they're not all adults. They're students their own age from different countries, cultures, and experiences.
I often see students realize things they had never even thought about before. They discover different music, food, traditions, and perspectives from around the world.
These may seem like small things, but they can shape a student's life forever.
Through the Hudson Global Scholars student community, students can learn things they may never otherwise have had the opportunity to explore.
We could truly change their lives.
I also love that they get a human connection. Even though it's virtual, they build relationships with people around the world, and those relationships could last a lifetime.
What Advice Would You Give Students?
I encourage students to expose themselves to as many opportunities as possible.
Even if it's something small, like learning a dance from a different culture or learning about popular sports in another country.
Of course, participate in things you're excited about, but also soak up as many experiences as you can.
It may never become your career or the focus of your studies, but you never know who you might meet, what doors might open, or where it might lead you.
It could become a new fascination, a new hobby, or something you eventually teach to others.
You could build something incredible from it. You could meet somebody who impacts you for the rest of your life.
So grab hold of as many opportunities as you can. Learn as much as you can, even if it's only a little bit about something.
Learn it, enjoy it, and have fun with it.
If you carry it with you for the rest of your life, great. If you don't, you'll still have the experience, and it will be a wonderful story to tell later.