Lindsay Kopel
Q&A
Q: Where are you employed? What is your Title?
Girl Scouts of Central Illinois – Membership Specialist
Q: What is your favorite part of your job?
Starting new Girl Scout troops for the girls who are interested.
Q: What do you consider to be your most valuable contribution to your organization for which you work?
I work with Vermillion & Iroquois Counties, which have a hard time economically, and I really enjoy providing a
program in an area with a lot of need.
Q: Given your career path, where do you see yourself in 10 years?
I hope to still be working with Girl Scouts and possibly have moved into programming or to a membership management position.
Q: Do you have any words of advice/recommendations? a. for undergrads still searching for a major—would you recommend RST and why?, b. for the undergrads currently in the program, c. for the senior currently looking for his/her first position.
a. I would recommend RST to anyone unsure of what they would like as their major. RST provides a broad foundation of coursework for students to get a glimpse into many different fields. Even if you are only interested in Recreation in the beginning, actually sitting through the different classes related to Sport or Tourism may change your mind and help you find something you are even more interested in learning about for your career.
b. Undergrads currently in the program should also keep an open mind about all three divisions of Recreation, Sport and Tourism. Learning about all three fields can provide one with more diverse opportunities than just focusing on one specific area.
c. Seniors currently looking for their first position should not be scared to apply for even though jobs that they feel are out of reach. Being a U of I graduate is a great resource because we have the support system to fall back on with knowing our teachers so closely for references or being able to do research in the library facilities. When applying for positions make sure you are aware of what job you are applying for and go in to the interview having researched the company, the people who may be interviewing you, as well as the position itself and ALWAYS have questions ready to ask them because they want to see that you are truly interested in the position itself, not just getting a job.
Q: Please add anything else that might be helpful.
Job hunting was very time consuming, but in the end I only applied to jobs I truly felt were a good fit for me and it has paid off. I love my current position and even though it took a lot of hard work to get here, and is sometimes stressful, I know I am a great fit for the position which makes me confident in the work I produce.