Impact Excerpt
Impact of GSU on my Life!
Kathy Miller - Employee
President, Civil Service Senate
Institutional Research Data Coordinator
What impact has GSU had on my life? I believe that because of my experiences at GSU, I have been made aware that I am valuable as a person, and an asset as a staff member, a participant in community and university governance, a friend, and a family member. I have had the opportunity to experience and learn to value the vast differences in people.
I remember reading somewhere that the average person will have up to seven different types of jobs in their life. Thinking back, I guess that I’m just an average person, because I’ve had all kinds of jobs, all different, no two the same. I will say this: I’m glad GSU was number seven because I’ve been here for nearly 20 years. In September of 1991, I was a baker, cake decorator, and the assistant store manager for a bakery called “I Love Desserts,” a subsidiary of Bakers Square. Talk about changing careers!
In October of 1991, I came to GSU. I had absolutely no computer experience; the only relationship I had with one was to dust it for a previous boss. Back then computers were all running DOS; Windows wasn’t even available yet. Our phones were all rotary dial, and the only button on them was the hold button. The modern way to save files was on microfiche. Does anyone even know what that is anymore? I went from wearing blue jeans and sneakers to dresses and high-heeled shoes. Yes, back then we had to wear dresses or skirts. Pants were only allowed on Friday, and not jeans. Oh no, no, no – it was it was business casual.
I was hired as a temporary, part-time “assistant clerk”. Me, a clerk! That sounded so secretarial. Office work. I would be sitting at a desk, in front of a computer and doing clerky things. I was shy, and worried that the limitations of my job experience and lack of formal education would make working at GSU difficult. I was terrified yet excited to start this new adventure, I didn’t know what to expect. I couldn’t begin to imagine how dramatically my life would change over the next two decades.
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