How did you discover your passion for what you do, and what opportunities have helped shape your career?

Connecting with mentors, being offered opportunities to shadow and learn from elders in my field, and trusted colleagues’ enthusiasm and support of my interests and passions.

Who has been an invaluable mentor for your professional career? What did you learn from them?

Each of my supervisors across various positions. I’ve learned the importance of starting slow, not rushing the process and building a solid and stable foundation before moving forward, including forming agreed upon values and a shared vision. This has been invaluable while co-founding a non-profit organization, as well as creating an event that synthesizes two distinct areas (education/play, conference/festival).

How do you make sure you stay connected with your professional network?

For colleagues across the country, I stay connected through LinkedIn. Otherwise, our non-profit organization, The Nowak Society, hosts monthly professional meetups across Colorado. These are my primary methods of staying connected. I try to refrain from social media use as much as possible.

How have friendships helped you professionally? Is there a friend (or Delta Zeta sister) that has been behind you every step of the way on your career journey?

My professional relationships are the primary reason I’ve been so successful in my work. I feel grateful to have a large network of friends across the country. One of my best friends from Delta Zeta, Nicole Quasney, has been beyond supportive every step of the way.