Career Path of a Director of Program Quality, Training And Assessment at Girls Incorporated Alameda County
Johanna's career path, beginning with a pharmacy major in college, unexpectedly led to a fulfilling career in out-of-school time programming. After switching majors to religious studies, gaining teaching experience, and pursuing a master's in teaching English as a second language, including a year of AmeriCorps service, Johanna discovered a passion for after-school programs, stating, "afterschool programming just allows so much curiosity and development," ultimately finding "this was my calling."
Career Development, Working with Youth, Non-profit, Education, Program Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
johanna masis
Director of Program Quality, Training and Assessment
Girls Incorporated of Alameda County
U of A, Tucson and UC Santa Barbara
Holy Names University, MA ESL
Humanities
Education
Operations and Project Management
Immigrant, Transfer Student, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. After changing her major from pharmacy to religious studies, she found that the latter helped maintain her sanity while taking a heavy science course load. This highlights the importance of finding a balance and pursuing studies that are personally fulfilling.
2. She pursued a Master's in teaching English as a second language and a year of AmeriCorps service, demonstrating a commitment to personal and professional development and a passion for helping others, specifically youth.
3. Her experience with after-school programming led her to discover her calling and provided insights into the value of non-traditional learning environments. This showcases the significance of exploring different career paths and the importance of finding one's passion.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Do you have any internships or jobs you had before your current role?
Sure. I started my college career as a pharmacy major at the University of Arizona in Tucson. I didn't realize the financial burden it was putting on my family to be out of state. I chalk that up to being young.
I came back to California, as I grew up in the Bay Area. I ended up at Santa Barbara and changed my major from the sciences to the humanities. I graduated with a BA in religious studies.
I discovered that religious studies actually kept me sane while I was taking that heavy science load. Every quarter, even when I was in Tucson, I always had a religious studies class to keep some balance in my life, and I really enjoyed it. By the time I changed my major, I had already accrued a lot of credits in religious studies, so I didn't have to start from scratch.
After college, I graduated from Santa Barbara in 2000 and already had a teaching job lined up. I knew I wanted to use my major in that way. I've always been connected to working with youth, and teaching world religions was kind of the dream gig. I got it.
I was working in Ojai at a private school and noticed that my international students were really struggling with balancing their English acquisition while taking classes. That struck me because I am an immigrant, but I came to this country when I was a year and a half. I don't remember that language acquisition process being so traumatic. I saw that this was happening to our young people at the high school.
I got curious and ended up finishing after only teaching for two years at the high school. I wanted to pursue my master's in teaching English as a second language because I wanted to do whatever I could to help support a young person learning English in a less stressful, less traumatic way.
I went to grad school and did a year of AmeriCorps. I'm not sure if you're familiar with it, but I did my year of service in a literacy program here in the Bay Area. It was my first insight into afterschool programming, and I experienced it. I realized I was never going back to the traditional classroom because afterschool programming allows for so much curiosity and development. You get to bring programming that kids who don't have the resources can actually participate in. I thought that was beautiful and exciting.
Having learning in a different way was really cool. I taught in Japan for a year to see if my master's was worth it. I had invested two years and a lot of money into myself, so I wanted to see if this was really what I wanted to do.
After teaching in Japan, I learned very quickly that it was a safe experience. As long as youth had a safe and supportive environment to learn, they would learn. I came back to the States and went right back to afterschool programs because a lot of the demographics and communities I served in this career.
I'm now in my 22nd year working in the out-of-school time field. I learned very quickly that this is where I belong. This was my calling, and I feel very lucky to have found it at a young age. I still have friends in their mid-forties who hate their jobs, but I'm not that person.