Lundquist Institute

Like many, I stumbled into Research Administration. It all started with an oil change. Yes, an oil change. I happened to be getting my oil changed, at the same time as a former colleague and friend’s wife. We started chatting with the normal pleasantries: Hi, How are you? How is your spouse? How’s the Family? Then what seemed out of left field, she asked me “Are you looking for a new job?” I chuckled a bit, and told her I was actually looking into new employment, that I was not happy where I was working. She told me about a position that was going to be available in the Office of Grants & Contracts Administration at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. That her colleague had put in notice, so the position wasn’t listed yet, but she thought I would be a great fit. She told me about the job. I told her I would definitely be interested. So, when she got back to the office, she sent me the job description. And then made sure to send me the link once the job posted. I, obviously, applied, and was offered a position. I started in March 2013, and after 10.5 years, I haven’t run for the door yet.

Kept in contact with a friend from college. One day she introduced an open position to me. I never considered applying for it since my mindset was that I knew nothing about Research Administration, and came from a completely different field altogether. As time passed and she reached out again, I figured – why not try. Nothing to lose. Now I have been in the field for almost a year and continuing to grow each day. It is challenging, but also rewarding in the impact our work has. Looking forward to unfolding the rest of my path.