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AATS Staff Spotlight: Whitney Washington
Posted on July 9, 2018 by Yvette Stone
Ms. Whitney Washington is a first year advisor in Academic Advising & Transfer Services.
What brought you to Mobile and to the University of South Alabama?
I am originally from Livingston, Alabama, a small town in the Black Belt area. I came
to Mobile and to South because I was interested in a career in healthcare. When I
started on my bachelor’s degree at South, I had plans to study radiology. After a
while, I changed my mind and ended up majoring in Professional Health Sciences with
a concentration in healthcare management. While the program does not train you for
direct patient care, it does allow you to prepare for a career in management and administration.
I then started my master’s degree in Public Administration, which is a broad degree
that allows you to go into a variety of fields. It was actually my graduate assistantship
with student programming on campus that got me interested in higher education as a
profession. I really liked working with students and higher education was a good transition
from my graduate program.
What was your favorite subject of study while at South?
I really enjoyed my psychology courses and my emergency management courses. I loved
psychology because it is the study of the mind. I learned that most adolescents don’t
have a fully developed brain until their late 20s. That sparked my interest to read
and learn as much as I can while I’m still developing. My emergency management classes
taught me how emergency medical professionals respond in tough situations. That was
really interesting to learn.
What is one of your favorite things about South?
I like the fact that South is a growing campus. When I first got here, things were
a lot different. I’ve been here for about six years now and things have grown and
changed a lot. I think it is cool that you can evolve along with the campus.
What is something you wish you had known when you were a freshman in college?
I wish I had known how important it is to have a diverse peer group. When I was in
school, I stuck with what I was comfortable with, but I think it is important to learn
more about different cultures and different groups. It is easy to do this and get
involved by attending different student events on campus.
What advice you do have for our current freshmen?
I would encourage freshmen to take advantage of internships very early. Most employers
want potential employees to have a lot of experience, so it benefits you to seek those
opportunities out early on.
What things do you like to do for fun when you are not hard at work in the AATS?
I love music and I love to dance. I have Snapchat jam sessions by myself. I also read
a lot; I love self-help books. Right now I’m reading Year of Yes and The 48 Laws of
Power. Those are my February reads. My goal is to read two books a month.
Finally, tell us one thing about yourself that your students might be surprised to
know.
I joined the high school marching band when I was in 4th grade. I started on the
majorette team as a twirler and then transitioned to the dance team. I was the dance
team captain when I was in 9th grade. We used to come Mobile to march in the Mardi
Gras parades and would walk miles to prepare for them.