“I wanted to pick a smaller school where I knew I could get one-on-one attention from professors. Yet when looking at a lot of the smaller schools I applied to, they’re in the middle of nowhere. They couldn’t give me the support and resources that I needed to succeed,” Carmen explains. “I found Guilford at the last minute during my senior year. A friend from my Girl Scout troop had applied and gotten in.”

Carmen found her path while at Guilford thanks to her experience with campus activities — but not before she took a couple of turns. She ultimately changed her major from Psychology to Education Studies.

“I've always loved helping children. I’ve been a babysitter forever and a camp counselor,” she says. “However, during my junior year I switched to the non-licensure track because I realized I don’t really want to be in the classroom.”

Choosing a New Track

It turns out Carmen’s true passion is higher education. She discovered this after getting involved in a variety of groups on campus. 

She ran track her first three years and has been a member of the Black Student Union of which she has served as marketing chair and now president. She’s also on the Campus Activities Board and has been a part of the orientation team for the past three years. This year, she was team lead and helped plan orientation and hire orientation leaders. 

Carmen also interned in the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement since her sophomore year. For the past two years she has been the lead intern. She works closely with the graduate assistant, runs meetings, and delegates tasks to other interns. 

“I think it's a great area because you get to work with students. I feel like in higher ed, especially with campus activities, you’re able to be creative,” she says. “That was a huge part of it. I wanted to have a job where I could be creative and could come in every day, love my job, and still work with students.”

Entering Graduate School

Having applied and been accepted into a number of institutions, Carmen plans to enter the Master’s in Higher Education program DePaul University in Chicago this fall.

“Especially during college I recommend getting involved in many different things. I’ve also worked in Human Resources and with Advancement. I knew nothing about them, but it was great experience to see if they were areas I wanted to get into,” she says. 

Even if you have plans outside of higher education, Carmen has wisdom to share. “I also advise joining clubs,” she advises incoming students. “Not only will it give you something to do day to day, but you'll gain experience that might change your career path — like it did for me.”

Do you have dreams like Carmen of a career in higher education? Or are you interested in learn more about one of the top college psychology programs in North Carolina? Schedule your personalized visit to Guilford College through the Office of Admission, which you can contact at 336.316.2100 or admission@guilford.edu.