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My day-to-day can look drastically different depending on what's going on! Some of the things I frequently do are meet with students and alumni on a variety of career-related topics (resume and/or cover letter review and writing, LinkedIn creation and/or review, major and minor exploration, mock interviews, job and internship search, or even just "what do I want to do with my life?" advising).


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When Chip Pettit ’96 chose to attend and play baseball for Valparaiso University, he wasn’t sure yet where his academic pursuits would take him. “I was ‘undecided’ on a major well into the fall semester of my sophomore year.” Pettit says, “I remember my advisor telling me that I had to pick a major and I still didn’t know what I wanted to do..."

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When Krystal Peña ‘21 was deciding which college to attend after high school, she knew she wanted to be far enough away from her home in Chicago to feel independent, yet close enough to home to get back quickly if necessary. As a first-generation student, Peña didn’t have the experiences of her family to fall back on. 

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Last week, the Office of Advancement welcomed a brand-new team member! Christine Radtke joins Valparaiso University as the newly appointed Assistant Vice President of Development. Radtke comes to Valpo with a deep fundraising and higher education background and explains how the mission inspired her to pursue a career here.

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If you spend any amount of time with Jeanette Gray ’03, ’09 M.Ed., you’ll walk away feeling inspired to dream bigger than you thought imaginable and ready to chase after your lifelong goals. 

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For Terry Trautman ’60, the first time he ever set foot on the Valparaiso University campus was the first day of his freshman year.  

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Careers are journeys — and each stop is just as important as the next. 

Meet Jason Hallman ’06, Ph.D., senior manager at the Collaborative Safety Research Center at Toyota Motors North America, and follow along as we explore how he got to his current role.

May 2023 Update Available
Under the direction of the President José Padilla and Executive Vice President and Provost Eric Johnson, Valparaiso University is embarking on a year-long strategic planning process to shape its future. The entire campus community is invited to join in this process that will make a lasting positive impact on the future of this great University. 

Meg, who serves as owner, operator, and instructor at SoundTide Music School in Portage, Indiana, details her experience preparing for and performing a solo violin program at Carnegie Hall on Feb. 24, 2023.

“My experience at Valpo created this kind of safe space for me to explore who I was, what I wanted to be, and God’s role in all of it ... I was encouraged to flourish by engaging in a process of trying things out, sometimes failing, always learning, critically reassessing, ideally growing, and ultimately returning to repeat the process.”

“I have always had a desire to work with, teach, help, and learn from children. I was able to begin my journey and listen to others experiencing significant challenges during my senior year at Valpo when I began volunteering in a shelter for women and children. This experience reaffirmed my calling.”

“As many of you may recall, Jon T. Kilpinen ’88, Ph.D., will finish his service as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences this summer. I would like to once again thank Jon for his incredible 16 years of devoted service to the College and to Valparaiso University. I am also taking this opportunity to announce that Gregg “Bagel” Johnson, Ph.D., professor of political science and international relations, will be stepping into the role of interim dean, effective July 18, 2022.”

“As you know, Valparaiso University suffered a great loss this past Friday afternoon. The damage resulting from the fire that broke out in the Art-Psychology building is extensive. The Art-Psychology building was not just a building — buildings can be replaced; it was a piece of Valpo’s history and an incubator of the creative work of our students and faculty — in some cases, their life’s work.”

In August 2020, six months into the pandemic, Aimee Tomasek, associate professor of visual art, and Gretchen Buggeln, Duesenberg Professor of Christianity and the Arts, began a collaborative photography/oral history project, “Connected Congregations,” to document how Porter County congregations were adjusting to COVID-19.

In this special feature, Gretchen Buggeln, Duesenberg Chair in Christianity and the Arts, Christ College, shares her insights into the Chapel’s addition to the National Register of Historic Places and what that designation means for the beloved worship space and the entire campus. 

Dick DiBlasio ’75 shares lessons he learned at Valpo that have carried him through a 45-year career in sales, marketing, and client services at the director level for leading firms like Nielsen in Chicago and the metropolitan New York area, as well as INMAR Inc. 

“You know how pancakes look delicious, but after you finish your plate the thought of any more makes you sick? That’s how comedy is when starting out. If you chase after it too aggressively you may burn yourself out and quit entirely. The key is to pace yourself so your passion can remain exactly that: your passion.”

At 100 years old, Connie Bruegmann ’42 Felten Bretscher ’71 MALS serves as a guide for President Padilla, providing a glimpse into Valpo’s past as he looks toward the future.

“Parents think that a liberal education can be summed up as ‘you learn something but you learn nothing.’ I will challenge that: what you learn is how to be flexible ... to take something and go ‘I think that’s the path, let me go down there and see if there’s anything there for me’.”

“I’ve always been an empathetic person, but during my time at Valpo, I learned how to channel my natural curiosity about the world and care for people into engaging communications.”

“In addition to doing meaningful, mission-driven work, I knew CAPS would give me the opportunity to walk through a professional experience and help me navigate what exactly I am looking for in my future career.”

“Sharing stories that otherwise might not be told is an important contribution to our communities— doing so can help keep viewers informed about their neighborhoods, create change and help people feel more connected.”

"Almost as soon as I was in remission, my husband and I looked for ways to give back within the hospital as a means of expressing our gratitude to all of those healthcare professionals who were instrumental in my treatment and subsequent recovery."