I went into 2020 eager to spend my final two semesters at the University of Maryland collaborating with peers in my English departmental honors cohort and foraying into the vibrant nightlife of nearby D.C. Then came COVID.Recognizing the urgent need for civil servants in pandemic response, I put my plans of entering the publishing industry after graduation on hold, and instead joined the Howard County Health Department's COVID Response Team in early 2021. Working as an administrative coordinator for HCHD sharpened communication and writing skills that I had developed as an English major through tasks such as writing after action reports and updating emergency plans, but I was also thrust into roles that my coursework never could have prepared for. When I started working vaccine clinics, I still wasn't sure how to pronounce "Moderna." By the time I left HCHD, I was inventory manager for seven different types of COVID vaccines and could rattle off the numbers of all fifteen lots stored in our fridges and freezers with my eyes closed.As the pandemic abated, I began looking for other opportunities to expand my skillset while remaining in the public sector. In August 2022, I learned that my old high school was in dire need of another English teacher. The only related experience on my resume was as a writing tutor at the University of Maryland, but I decided push beyond my comfort zone and accepted the position less than a month before students returned to classrooms. With the help of immensely supportive colleagues, I soon found myself managing tasks that would have felt herculean to me just weeks before--like leading literary discussions for ninety minutes in front of twenty-odd teenagers, three times a day, five days a week. I voluntarily turned over my classes after a seasoned replacement was located, but the two months I spent teaching brought me much greater insight into systemic issues facing America's educators and public schools.Please message me on LinkedIn or at dorr@umd.edu to discuss how my skillset may be an asset to your team!
Listed skills include Writing, Critical Discourse Analysis, Peer Tutoring, Copy Editing, and 1 others.