2019 Rising Alumni: Chelsea Petree

Please list any professional accomplishments you wish to mention.

My most significant professional accomplishment thus far was establishing the Parent and Family Programs office at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). When I was hired as the director in 2015, there was very little formal communications or outreach to parents of our students. Since then, I have established communications and engagement opportunities that reach thousands of parents each month. Most significantly, I developed a monthly newsletter for parents—with a reach of 22,000 people—that educates RIT parents about deadlines, campus updates, and how to appropriately engage with students while letting them develop into independent adults. I have worked to change the campus culture to one of "parents as partners," educating my colleagues about the important role parents play and how we can engage parents in support of positive student development and student success. I am also very involved in the national professional organization in the parent and family program field: AHEPPP: Family Engagement in Higher Education. After serving on the board of directors for two years, I was selected as the president elect and will begin my term as president in 2021. I am honored to lead the organization in our efforts to engage and support professionals who work with parents of college students through research, education, and networking.

Volunteer activites

Between 2011-15, I led four service learning trips to Guatemala with University of Minnesota parents and students through an organization called Common Hope. On these trips, we volunteered with children in schools, built houses, visited families with social workers, and engaged in the communities. I further assisted with annual events and fundraising efforts with Common Hope. I volunteer for as many campus events as I'm able. This has included sorting donated goods at Goodbye, Goodbuy—our campus sustainability effort to reduce waste, packaging meals for the Hunger Project, and building house frames during the Habitat for Humanity campus event Framing Frenzy. I like to volunteer on campus as a way to engage with our students and support my colleagues. I was in the Leadership Rochester class of 2017. Leadership Rochester identifies emerging and existing leaders each year and brings them together for monthly sessions with key leaders, enabling them to understand and respond to the quality-of-life challenges facing the greater Rochester region.

What is your favorite memory from the University of Minnesota?

One of the best individual days was the day I defended my master's thesis, which was also the day I was offered a job as a research assistant in the Minnesota Parent Program. It was a double win that day—a new degree and a new research opportunity! What I didn't realize at that time was that this job offer would change my career path—a change that has done so much for me professionally and personally. My best memories (overall) as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota are the conversations I had outside of the classroom with my fellow students and FSoS faculty. I remember having such rich, meaningful conversations in the hallways and offices that taught me so much about my colleague's work and interests and the world.

What was the impact and benefit of your educational experience in CEHD?

The Family Social Science department taught me how to think critically and creatively, use research to better understand the world, and consider all aspects of family diversity in my work. These things have benefited me greatly in the creation of my office and in my everyday work with parents of RIT students. Additionally, throughout my studies, I appreciated thinking about my own family and connecting it to who I was as a (young at that time) adult. I liked the reflection of it’s not making excuses but understanding my own feelings and behaviors and knowing myself better. For better or worse, everyone has a family background that has shaped them, and I liked that Family Social Science could cross over into so many other fields and that everyone could relate to it. I think this has helped me to relate to people in my professional and personal life, and to better understand the world.

Who has inspired you the most during your career?

My boss at the Minnesota Parent Program not only got me started in this field, but also inspired me to always be creative, think outside the box, and to not be afraid to try (and sometimes fail). I owe my career to her. As I've grown as a professional, I find inspiration in my colleagues across the country who also work with parents. We all have our own strengths and never hesitate to uplift and support one another. I am inspired when I learn about a new program I'd like to implement; I am inspired when I can offer support in an area I excel in; I am inspired when we celebrate our accomplishments without envy.