My Experience as a Parent Ally

Being a Parent Ally has been one of the best experiences I have had during my time here at NC State. I joined the Parents and Families Services team at the beginning of the second semester of my sophomore year. When I joined, the team immediately welcomed me and provided me with the support I needed to succeed in the role. I was assigned a mentor within the team who was an older Parent Ally, and I knew I could go to with any questions or concerns I had. I quickly became close with my coworkers, and I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with such motivated and hardworking peers.

The Parent Ally Program has allowed me to grow as a leader, a team member and as a person in general. When I first joined the team during the spring of 2021, I was incredibly shy and I absolutely hated public speaking. I slowly started to open up as I got comfortable in the position and with the team because it was truly an environment that fostered growth. I have grown to love public speaking and I have developed significant confidence in order to get over those initial fears of speaking in front of a crowd.

After my first semester in the office, I had the opportunity to work as one of the summer interns for the office during the summer of 2021. Within this role, I was able to work closely with our directors and staff to learn more about internal operations of the office, and this included a lot of event planning. I helped plan Parents and Families Weekend from the ground up and had the chance to give presentations to parents at New Student Orientation. This really helped me learn more about the inner workings of the office and all aspects of what Parents and Families Services aims to provide for families.

Through my experience working during the summer and heading into the fall 2021 semester, I was given the opportunity to become a Co-Lead for the Parent Ally Program. This has allowed me to take on more responsibility and grow in areas I didn’t expect. It has also helped me discover a passion for higher education that I never knew I had. I am so excited to have discovered this passion, and I am now currently looking to work in higher education once I graduate at the end of this upcoming summer. I am grateful that this job has allowed me to grow in areas I never thought possible for myself and has influenced my career choices so much so that it has helped create a new plan for my future.

If your student or anyone you know would be interested in becoming a Parent Ally, our application for the 2022-2023 academic year is now live! You can access the Parent Ally Application on our website or at the link above. For more information about the Parent Ally Program, visit the Office of Parents and Families Services website.

I am ever so grateful for this office and the opportunity to share my love for NC State with such incredible people. GO PACK!

• Rebecca