Pronouns: She/Her
Lafayette Degree & Major(s): Bachelor of Arts, Psychology & Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Graduate Degree: Masters in Social Work, Concentration in: Communities, Organization, and Social Action, University of Pittsburgh, School of Scocial Work
Location: Wilmington, DE
Title: Graduate Support Program Director
Employer: Serviam Girls Academy
Describe what your employer/organization does: Serviam Girls Academy (SGA) of Wilmington, Delaware is a Catholic, tuition-free, private middle school that educates girls in grades 5-8 from under-resourced communities. Serviam’s mission is to cultivate the potential of young women through a challenging, holistic education rooted in the Ursuline tradition. Serviam offers an extended day and year model, partnerships with families and community members, and support for students beyond graduation. We are part of coalition of 51 other similarly modeled schools across the US and Canada (Nativity Coalition).
Please provide a brief overview of your role: I manage SGA’s Graduate Support Program. The Graduate Support Program is what makes our middle school very unique from other middle schools . My program helps our students and their families apply to competitive high schools and we support our alumnae as they move through high school and beyond, making sure they have the resources they need to achieve their educational, career, and personal goals.
What gets you excited to go to work each day? Getting to visit our alumnae in their high schools (4-5 times during the school year), learning about what is new in their world, and seeing them grow right before your eyes; Developing strong relationships with students and their families; Getting the opportunity to help our talented students get into their first choice, best fit high school; Getting to work in such a close – knit community. The sisterhood is not only amongst the girls but it is felt within the faculty / staff as well. We are all willing to help and support wherever we can. We all truly believe in SGA’s mission and it’s felt in the dedication of our staff / faculty to push the mission forward.
What keeps you up at night as you think about the opportunities (or challenges) related to your work? Helping families get through an often convoluted high school admissions process; Finding creative and innovative ways to better prepare students academically, socially, and emotionally for high school; Supporting students with the high school placement test; Having hard conversations with students and families about school fit; Advocating for students and teaching them how to advocate for themselves; Helping families get enough financial aid and scholarships to lower their EFC (applies to families applying to private school); Preparing students to sometimes enter predominately White private schools for high school; Finding creative and innovative ways to engage our older alumnae community (post high school alum).
What key strengths are necessary to be successful in entering this career field? Empathy, perspective taking, advocacy, problem-solving, conflict resolution, strong communication skills (verbal and written – Lafayette made me a great communicator), rapport-building, active listening, critical thinking (thanks Lafayette!).
Is education beyond a Lafayette degree required to pursue this path? Not necessarily. However, I will say that my social work education helped me with a lot of the soft skills I needed to support students and their families in an intentional and dynamic way. It also taught me to always place a student in the context of their environment. I do check ins with our alumnae and I had the training needed to make sure those visits were meaningful, productive, and to know how to find resources for them if they were struggling.
How did your Lafayette experience equip you for success in your career field, especially as an early career professional? It taught me how to balance a demanding schedule (classes, internships, working, clubs). I was able to keep up with my graduate school workload because the education at Lafayette was rigorous. My Lafayette experience also gave me the technical skills needed to run a successful graduate support program. I will always credit my Sociology, Psychology, Religion, and WGS courses for my ability to critically analyze and solve problems. I feel like problem solving is a big part of my job.
What specific experiences during your time at Lafayette made the greatest impact on your professional path? Participating in NIA (as a member and in leadership), studying abroad in Australia for 6 months and being a Summer Research Scholar for the Institute of Social Science Research (University of Queensland, Australia), being an EXCEL Scholar for Professor Myers (Psychology), doing an Honors Thesis in Psychology with Professor Bookwala, doing internships at Valley Youth House in Allentown and Easton Area Neighborhood Community Center, working at Don Juans Mex Grill.
As it relates to career exploration and development, what is one thing that you know now that you wish you could go back in time and tell your student self? Honestly, I wish I had taken a gap year between Lafayette and grad school to work in the field. I went to grad school right after college. So, I found myself with a lot of education and not much formal work experience, which made it hard for me to find a good-paying job. I also job-hopped a bit to find a job that I liked because of it. So, if I could go back in time, I would tell my student self to take the gap year. Take the break to figure out what kind of social worker you would like to be (I think I was not ready to go into the work world yet because being a student was all I knew and it was comfortable for me).
What advice do you have for students interested in pursuing your career field? The main advice I would offer is to always seek out opportunities to broaden your skill set and find ways to apply them, whether that is through a class outside of your major, an internship experience, or a research project. Be intentional in finding the connections in the opportunities you pursue.
What strategies, tools, or other efforts do you utilize to find “balance” or reduce your career-related stress? I live and die by my Google calendar. If it is not on my calendar, it does not exist. I keep track of all of my deadlines and daily tasks on there. I am also getting better at saying “NO,” maintaining my boundaries, and carving out vacation / PTO time throughout the year. Therapy is also a huge tool for me. When you work with people, especially youth, you tend to take on their burdens as your own or want more for them than they want themselves. Having a therapist (who is also a social worker) is probably one of the reasons why I am still in the social work field. That and having a good support system as well.
How do you enjoy spending your free time when not at work? Playing rugby with the Philadelphia Rugby Football Club! I am also a certified doula and work with clients when I can, especially in the summer when school is out. Here is my website for more information: www.nurturethrivedoula.com.
What was your favorite spot on Lafayette’s campus when you were a student? I couldn’t narrow it down to just one spot. If you asked any of my friends where they would find me it would either be at Skillman Library, Lower Fairnon, Oechsle Hall, or Don Juans!
Would you like to connect with Edoukou to learn more about her career path?
Ms. Aka-Ezoua is happy to connect with students via email.
If you’d like to connect with Ms. Aka-Ezoua by email, please contact your Gateway Career Counselor for details.
