Meet the Team: Carleen Forringer
Carleen Forringer transitioned from coaching preschoolers to coaching college students in a month.
Really, there are a lot of similarities. She still creates lesson plans, encourages learning and growth, and teaches ideas to people in a way they can understand.
The change wasn’t one she expected, though. When covid-19 hit in the spring of 2020, she was working as the marketing director at a church camp and a Pre-K teacher at a nearby church. By July, the camp decided to let almost everyone from their team go, including Carleen and her husband.
“We decided we were going to come back to Lynchburg. It had been in the plans, just not quite so quickly.”
Carleen started looking for jobs at Liberty, and an opportunity at Career Services popped up. After a round of interviews, she got the job as a Career Coach.
“It’s been really cool because I’ve found that I’m using components from both of the jobs I had before. I always tell students that you never know when you’re going to use your skills, or when your skills could be valuable in the future,” Carleen explained.
Working as a Career Coach
In her role at Career Services, Carleen oversees the management and development of workshops. She helps students build better resumes, prepare for interviews, and so much more. She also visits classrooms throughout Liberty’s campus to give presentations on career development and connect with students where they’re at.
Carleen tries to be an encouragement to the students and alumni she connects with, especially those that feel frustrated and disappointed with their job search. She gives them the tools they need and reminds them that God has a plan, even when they can’t see it. Jeremiah 29:11, a verse written on one of the walls at the Career Services office, is one she points to for this truth.
“That’s something I try to keep in focus, just being encouraging and reminding them God does have a plan.”
The most rewarding part of the position for Carleen is seeing students realize all they can accomplish. Sometimes they create their resume and are impressed by how good it looks. Or, they get jobs they didn’t think they would qualify for.
“I love seeing students and alumni realize what they can do and become more confident in their abilities,” Carleen shared.
To connect with Carleen, sign up for a Career Services workshop here.
