OHIO alumna Ashley Laber carries lessons learned at OHIO into her career

When Ashley Laber got here to Ohio College, she wasn’t positive what she needed to check, or what sort of profession she needed to pursue after faculty. She credit OHIO with serving to her develop sturdy communication expertise and the experiences which have served her properly as she has taken on totally different roles in her skilled profession.  

Laber entered College Faculty undecided earlier than declaring a significant in communication research and incomes her diploma from the Scripps Faculty of Communication in 2011. When she graduated from OHIO, Laber was prepared for a style of massive metropolis life, so she moved to the New York Metropolis metropolitan space. There, she was in a position to parlay her expertise planning occasions for Dad and mom and Siblings Weekends as a member of College Programming Council into an internship planning and executing particular occasions on the Madison Sq. Boys and Women Membership.

“That first position actually constructed towards subsequent roles after that and that is the place the entire fundraising space of my profession kicked off,” Laber stated.

From New York Metropolis, Laber made the transfer to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the place she labored as the event coordinator at Youngsters’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Basis. Laber served as a liaison for affected person households who had had experiences on the hospital and needed to provide again to kids by way of the hospital and its basis. She cherished her work with households and medical doctors and located that means in serving to households keep linked with the hospital by way of philanthropy and annual occasions.

After 10 years of working within the nonprofit world planning occasions and dealing on fundraising, Laber determined she was prepared for skilled development. She transitioned into a task as a doctor liaison at Most cancers Professional Now, an organization that affords on-demand customized most cancers training and help by way of an internet academic platform connecting sufferers, oncologists, and employers with international leaders in oncology.

In her new position, Laber connects and onboards physicians to the Most cancers Professional Now digital platform which helps hyperlink physicians with sufferers and folks with a current most cancers analysis or life science (pharmaceutical) corporations. She additionally recruits physicians to take part in particular initiatives.

“The identical consultants that I recruit additionally assist sufferers who’re on the lookout for a second opinion on a current analysis,” Laber defined. “It is very nice to have a component in recruiting these physicians though I am not sitting in on these affected person interactions.”

She is proud to work with an organization that’s positively impacting affected person lives. Constructing significant relationships has been an necessary a part of each position Laber has taken on, whether or not she is connecting with sufferers and their households or participating with physicians.

Although Laber now lives and works in Pittsburgh, nestled in a distinct set of hills, the hills of southeast Ohio and Athens will all the time have a particular place in her coronary heart.

She has fond reminiscences of her time at OHIO and all of the native companies like Brenen’s Café, Donkey Espresso, and the Farmacy Pure Meals Retailer that make Athens distinctive. Final 12 months she returned to Athens and OHIO to collect with mates for his or her 10-year class reunion.

Laber appreciated her wealthy first-year expertise at OHIO the place she had the chance to hitch scholar organizations, meet folks from totally different backgrounds, and discover her tutorial choices.

“OU does such a very good job of offering alternatives to determine issues out,” Laber stated.

Laber added that her first-year Studying Neighborhood helped her make connections and really feel supported whereas exploring her tutorial choices at OHIO.

“That have attending to know that little cohort of individuals helped me really feel extra comfy exploring totally different choices as a result of I used to be studying and assembly all these folks,” Laber stated. “All of these college students got here from totally different backgrounds and had totally different concepts of the place they needed to go.”

She appreciated the help of her Studying Neighborhood and her Studying Neighborhood teacher, Dr. David Descutner, who was then the dean of College Faculty, together with Studying Neighborhood Chief Didi Chilcott, now the switch and relocate scholar providers coordinator for College Faculty. Not surprisingly, Laber later grew to become a Studying Neighborhood chief herself and helped different Bobcats construct connections and group.

Laber stated she had a number of hurdles to beat as a first-generation faculty scholar and solely little one navigating the school and monetary assist software course of. She remembers in search of assist from her neighbors along with her faculty functions and monetary assist varieties. As soon as she grew to become a Bobcat, she discovered help from her advisors and professors. 

Sandy Rollins, Laber’s College Faculty advisor, was an necessary supply of help and steering.

“She was all the time there, encouraging me to become involved in several organizations, strive new internships, and make the most of all of the alternatives that OU supplied,” Laber stated.

As a scholar Laber took full benefit of experiential studying alternatives, serving to to plan and set up occasions with College Programming Council, serving as a work-study scholar within the Scripps Faculty, serving to first-year college students as a Studying Neighborhood chief, and finishing a number of internships together with one planning particular occasions at Akron Youngsters’s Hospital.

Laber grew up within the Akron and Canton, Ohio, space so she welcomed the chance to unfold her wings and journey south to Ohio College. A go to to campus was all it took for Laber to decide on OHIO.

“I simply fell in love with the campus,” Laber stated. “How will you not? How do you say no to Ohio College? It appeared like OU was on this good faculty city (Athens) and you would actually have so many various experiences. Everyone was so welcoming.”

There have been additionally a number of lessons that made a huge impact on Laber. Throughout an interpersonal communications class taught by Scripps Faculty of Communication Dean Scott Titsworth, Laber realized that though she’d been speaking for years, there was a principle of interpersonal communication that she may put into follow and carry along with her into her life and profession.

She famous that the sector of communication and associated careers is consistently altering so it’s exhausting to inform what the sector will appear like in 10 years. The job she has is one which didn’t exist 10 years in the past.

“The place that I am in proper now did not even exist once I graduated,” Laber defined. “The corporate wasn’t even shaped but.”

As she progresses in her profession, Laber stated she tries to give attention to the roles she has and constructing relationships along with her coworkers.

“Irrespective of the place you find yourself going or what job you find yourself taking, whether or not it is your first job or your fifth job, you may have the flexibility to achieve success due to the abilities and basis that Ohio College has helped you construct,” Laber stated.

She suggested present OHIO college students to keep away from placing an excessive amount of stress on themselves as they give thought to their post-graduation profession plans.

“There are such a lot of chapters in your life and you may’t soar forward to see the way it ends,” she stated. “You may’t assume forward to the top of the e-book. You may solely assume forward to the subsequent chapter. I believe OU helps provide the confidence that it doesn’t matter what chapter comes subsequent, you’ll deal with it.”