Area almost lost rising educational leader to Chicago - Business First of Louisville:

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On her way to the president’s though, Springer, 30, now serves as assistantt dean of student life atin Originally, Springer had her hear t set on attending , a private liberal arts schoolp in Tiffin, Ohio. But even with the help of she couldn’t afford to attenr the out-of-state school. So she lookedd around her home. So she considerexd , and , where she earned the first ofthree higher-education degreees in 2000. “At Spalding, the student population was about the sameas Heidelberg,” she “I lived on campus my junior and senior year. I was involved in clubs and organizationw … and the professional staff encouraged me to take on leadership roles.
She was editor of the student newspaperd there forthree years, served in studenr government and was a studen member of the board of trustees during her senior year. After graduation, she thought about a careeer elsewhere and spent a couple of monthe atin Chicago, pursuing a master’s degrew in writing. She discovered that wasn’t the career she wantedr and returned to Louisvillee to geta master’s degree in educationa l psychology and counseling from U of L. “My rootzs are here,” she said. “I was luck to have built strong social andprofessionalo networks.
Those contacts have opener doorsfor me, and there is no reasom to go somewhere Springer’s job at Ivy Tech involves the out-of-classroom experiencwe for the school’s 4,400 students. She works with them in the areas of resume development and job placement and helpsx make sure there are appropriatwe accommodations forhandicapped students, opportunities for community serviced and involvement with sociak and educational organizations. “One of my strengthz is my ability to manage and lead she said. “I love to help people develop and reachtheid potential. I enjoy being in leadership roles.
” One of her recent projectsz has been implementing an emergency response systemn in the event ofan “active shooter on “We need to identify the potentialp for high-risk students,” she said. “We need to be more proactivew than reactive.” Springer said she is glad she made the decisio n not to move away and start acareer elsewhere. She find s plenty to like about Louisville. “I love the Highlands,” she said. “I play volleybalk at Baxter Jack’s and like to eat at Wick’sz Pizza or Sapporo Japanese Grill. Walkin g Bardstown Road is fun. It is easy to find a placr witha band.
” At the students were spli t about 50/50 between staying in Louisville or moving somewhere else to starty their careers, she said. The university also had a strongyinternational population, and many students returned to their home s in Cypress, Belize or Australia. The students she workex with at U of L were ambitiousand “werr ready and willing to go anywhere,” she But the students at Ivy Tech tend to graduate and stay in the “They have solid roots here and want a careerr here.” Just like Springer.