Nine years is a long time. Before EPS, my longest stint at any institution was ten years, at Most Holy Trinity. From kindergarten to 8th grade, I was in the same two buildings at MHT. It was a small school of around 200, and due to my grandparents, parents, and siblings’ involvement, I knew everyone. I was comfortable, but perhaps too comfortable, never feeling challenged and often extremely bored during those years.
As an adult, outside of EPS, the longest I ever worked anywhere was about four years at Kaktus Marketing, a small web development and IT shop. We produced custom websites starting at $500. I joined as a novice web designer and quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the Creative Director after fifteen months and a partner after two years. My diverse skills in web design, film and video production, home building, and network installation helped the company grow. I built a green screen studio, produced commercials, and secured larger infrastructure projects. I was challenged and appreciated, but never truly comfortable.
In 2015, I was hired as a Webmaster and Web Teacher at EPS. This role was a sideways step in my career, but I was willing to take it to move to the Pacific Northwest. There was something special about EPS: the people I met during my interview, the students I ate lunch with, and the colleagues I would work with directly. After my first few weeks, I realized it didn’t just feel comfortable; it was comfortable. People were nice and welcoming. But unlike my primary school years, it was also challenging. My first summer, I did little class prep (as a first-year teacher with no teaching background), nor did I work much on our website. Instead, I spent the summer helping the tech team bring TMAC online. My networking skills helped Roger Mack set up switches and APs, my building skills helped JB assemble a ShopBot, and my marketing skills helped Tina revamp the Friday email.
Flash forward to 2024, and I find myself still at EPS. This is the longest job I have ever had, and as I enter my tenth year, it will be the longest I have been at any institution. There are three main reasons I am still here: I am comfortable, I am challenged, and, perhaps most importantly, I am appreciated.