{"137721":{"#nid":"137721","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Myers Took a Risk \u2014 Got Unexpected Reward","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe biggest risk Tasha Myers ever took was accepting an interim position and knowing there was no guarantee she\u2019d be offered the job permanently. After six months in the position, it was offered to someone else. But taking the risk did eventually pay off.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSure, I was disappointed, but shortly after, I was offered my position at Georgia Tech,\u201d said Myers, who is an associate program director at the Student Center. \u201cNot getting the interim job was a blessing in disguise, because I love what I do at Tech.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a child, Myers didn\u2019t dream of going into student affairs \u2014 she wanted to be a lawyer. This career aspiration morphed into becoming a math teacher until Myers got to college and realized that teaching wasn\u2019t a good match for her.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was always good at math, but it wasn\u2019t fun for me anymore,\u201d Myers said. \u201cI knew I needed to find something I could be truly passionate about.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce Myers realized she could make a living advising students about the same extracurricular activities she\u2019d enjoyed in college, she knew that student affairs was a fit.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently The Whistle had a chance to learn more about Myers and her time at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you arrive at Georgia Tech?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EWhile I was in graduate school at the University of Georgia, I worked in an assistantship at Tech with Stephanie Ray, associate dean of students and director of diversity programs. After graduation, I initially worked at Spelman College \u2014 in the interim student affairs role that I mentioned. When it came time to find a new job, I was offered my position at Tech and have been here since 2010.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us a little bit about your job.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI oversee the OPTIONS program, which offers noncredit leisure classes for students, faculty, staff and anyone else interested in participating. In addition, I advise the homecoming and the Atlanta Life committees, and I oversee Under the Couch, a music venue in the Student Center where students can see live shows, practice, play, record and learn. Also, whether it\u2019s listening to stories about breakups or providing advice about internship options, I end up becoming very involved in students\u2019 lives.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the most satisfying part of your job?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWatching students develop over the years they are at Tech. But it\u2019s also nice to hear that the students appreciate what I do for them. I remember receiving a thank you note from a student who was really involved in campus activities. He wrote that I was one of the best advisors he\u2019d worked with at Tech, which meant so much to me. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the one piece of technology you can\u2019t live without?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy Android phone\u0026nbsp; \u2014 my whole life is on that device.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhich do you prefer: Facebook, Twitter or a world without any of this social media stuff?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI actually like Facebook and Twitter a lot. Both of my accounts are linked, so my updates go out on both platforms. I like how Facebook allows you to connect with other people. But Twitter is useful for putting my random thoughts out into the world.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the best advice you\u2019ve ever received?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy mom would always tell me to \u201cNever forget who you are and who you represent.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would it be?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EWalt Disney. I would want to ask him how he imagined places like Disneyworld and Disneyland, and I\u2019d ask him what he thinks of what his legacy has become.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to have lunch, and what do you order?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EChow Baby. I don\u2019t really have a regular order, because it\u2019s so easy to change up the ingredients in the stir-fry dishes they serve.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something about yourself that others might not know.\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EI met my husband on a dance team when I was an undergraduate. And when I retire, I would love to open a cupcake bakery of my own.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe biggest risk Tasha Myers ever took was accepting an interim position and knowing there was no guarantee she\u2019d be offered the job permanently. After six months in the position, it was offered to someone else. But taking the risk did eventually pay off.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The biggest risk Tasha Myers ever took was accepting an interim position and knowing there was no guarantee she\u2019d be offered the job permanently. After six months in the position, it was offered to someone else. But taking the risk did eventually pay"}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2012-06-25 15:55:00","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:26","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-06-25T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-06-25T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"137691":{"id":"137691","type":"image","title":"Tasha Myers","body":null,"created":"1449178698","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:18","changed":"1475894769","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:09","alt":"Tasha Myers","file":{"fid":"194856","name":"tasha_chowbaby.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tasha_chowbaby_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/tasha_chowbaby_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":145413,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/tasha_chowbaby_0.jpg?itok=gkPSGH9p"}}},"media_ids":["137691"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"166965","name":"Student Center"},{"id":"12990","name":"Tasha Myers"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}