When Amber Taylor left Chicago’s South Side for the University of Missouri, she planned to earn her bachelor’s degree and pursue a career in television news. She has an on-camera presence well suited for broadcast journalism, but a spur-of-the-moment decision during senior year pushed her in an entirely different direction.
Amber decided to take a short-term AmeriCorps service opportunity, working as a “near-peer” advisor for students at a public high school. She quickly discovered that the post-graduation expectations for the students she was counseling were low. For most of them, a college education seemed beyond reach, but Amber was not deterred.
“As a first-generation college graduate, I knew what they’d be missing out on, and I wanted to give them hope.” Amber worked hard to encourage them to explore their possibilities. “I was the first person to help many of them realize that they could start coursework at community college and later transfer to an amazing school like Mizzou to complete their degree.”
She soon fell in love with the education field and the impact she was having on young lives. As an early mentor had cautioned, working in education has a way of reeling you in. Amber returned to the University of Missouri to earn a master’s in educational administration and worked for several years as an admissions counselor and an academic advisor at Midwestern universities.
When she joined the Lumity team as the Corporate & Volunteer Relationship Manager, Amber was excited to start a new role that involved both youth education and the opportunity to serve her local community.
She works with young participants who are learning skills to prepare them for STEM careers. She also collaborates with Lumity’s corporate partners and army of enthusiastic volunteers.
Amber is responsible for creating year-round events that expose participants to STEM career possibilities. She plans one-day challenges, job shadowing opportunities, site visits, resume workshops, and other interactive experiences. Amber’s top priority is ensuring that she’s creating experiences that are meaningful not only for the young people in Lumity’s programs but also for the volunteers.
Ahead of a recent workshop, she helped nervous participants draft their first resumes and answer their questions about what to expect about being matched with STEM professionals who would be reviewing their work. By the time the workshop ended, the participants were laughing, smiling, and bragging about their new and improved resumes. And she was getting positive feedback from the Ferrara volunteers about how rewarding the experience was and how they looked forward to the next opportunity to volunteer.
“I love seeing the different connections we create for our participants, our volunteers, and our corporate partners. At the end of the day, everyone’s goal is to have an impact, so we work hard to create experiences that have meaning for everyone.”
To connect with Amber and explore ways you and your employer can help build awareness and understanding about STEM careers, contact Amber at [email protected].
