{"69502":{"#nid":"69502","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Working with Parents Is Rewarding Challenge","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom putting helicopter parents at ease to delivering news parents don\u2019t want to hear, Kimberly Sterritt has experienced the highs and lows of directing the Georgia Tech Parents Program.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cDue to the high anxiety associated with sending a student to college, family members are very appreciative of the information that they receive and the positive interactions they have with Georgia Tech faculty and staff \u2014 it is all about providing good customer service,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are so proud that their student is attending such a great institution, and I love watching that pride beam through in-person, via email or over the phone.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen dealing with a frustrated parent who is looking for a solution, Sterritt\u2019s approach is to provide as much guidance as possible and to help them form an action plan before the conversation ends.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere is nothing more irritating to a parent than to have a conversation about a problem and still have a problem at the end \u2014 with no idea of how to improve the situation,\u201d she added. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHere\u2019s more about Sterritt and her time at Georgia Tech. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you get to your current position? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy previous work experiences at other institutions were in admissions, orientation and academic advising. Though the focus of each position was the student, working with students often included working with their family members. I observed the remarkable influence that family members had on their students and grew to see them as big contributors to students\u2019 academic experience.\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat does an average day entail?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EOur office coordinates communication and involvement opportunities for parents and family members of Tech undergraduates. Every day looks a little different, since we do everything from helping with FASET orientation to Family Weekend each fall. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is something most people don\u2019t know about your job?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOur office can be a helpful resource for other units on campus in that our monthly communication reaches more than 17,000 parents and family members and can be a way to inform families, and in turn their students, about campus happenings. We are also able to brainstorm solutions when parents and family members have concerns regarding their student on campus. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat piece of technology could you not live without?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI tend to have a love-hate relationship with most pieces of technology but have an appreciation for any technology that helps me stay connected to others.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat are a few things everyone should do while working at Tech? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAttend new student convocation. There is something about the ceremonial start to a room of new students\u2019 academic careers that is so promising and hopeful. And volunteer at a campus-wide student event. Whether it is a Family Weekend event or Sting Break, seeing Tech students in their element is worth the extra time on campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EBest place to grab lunch on campus, and what do you order? \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI could eat the pad Thai from Spoon or the club salad and tomato bisque from Fresh to Order every single day. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EName an accomplishment you are proud of. \u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI walked the Atlanta Breast Cancer three-day in 2009 \u2014 60 miles over 3 days \u2014 and will be walking it again this fall.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom putting helicopter parents at ease to delivering news parents don\u2019t want to hear, Kimberly Sterritt has experienced the highs and lows of directing the Georgia Tech Parents Program.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"From putting helicopter parents at ease to delivering news parents don\u2019t want to hear, Kimberly Sterritt has experienced the highs and lows of directing the Georgia Tech Parents Program."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2011-08-22 13:57:09","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:09:59","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-08-22T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2011-08-22T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"69501":{"id":"69501","type":"image","title":"Kimberly Sterritt","body":null,"created":"1449177252","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:14:12","changed":"1475894609","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:29","alt":"Kimberly Sterritt","file":{"fid":"193415","name":"kim.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kim_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/kim_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":3012847,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/kim_0.jpg?itok=0iV9pLbD"}}},"media_ids":["69501"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"14069","name":"Kimberly Sterritt"},{"id":"9131","name":"parents program"}],"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":""}}}