Staff Interview: Heidi Phillips
Tri-County Jobs for Ohio’s Graduates (JOG) has been passionate about expanding our services to as many students as we can in Ohio since our inception in 1987. Career Specialist Heidi Phillips, who has been with JOG for four years now, was one of the biggest helps in rolling out our programming in Trumbull County. When we came into the Trumbull area, Niles McKinley High School was the first district we joined, at which Heidi leads the JOG program.
The ability to be the guiding adult in a student’s life is a role that all of our specialists have to adapt to in order to be successful. Through hands-on experiences, Heidi has been able to show positive ways to grow and help students develop important career and life skills. As Heidi explained, “It’s important to be that one adult that [the students] know has their back. Whether it is working to help them get what they need academically or helping them prepare for an interview, it’s important for us to be that person.”
To become a role model for their students, our staff builds rapport and trust among full classes as well as individuals to create trust and, ultimately, help the students overcome barriers to their goals. One hurdle our specialists have to help students overcome is how to work with people with conflicting personalities or values. When her students are having problems with other classmates, Heidi likes to use the saying “let them.” She elaborated, “If someone is talking behind your back, let them. That’s a them thing, not a you thing. The only thing you can control is how you respond and how you adapt.”
Our career specialists are passionate about what they do every day; after all, not every job allows you to help encourage positive behaviors in the leaders of tomorrow. Heidi is no exception: “I love working for JOG. I wish I would have found this job decades sooner!” She continued, “I absolutely love what I do. I love connecting with young people. I love showing them there is hope and promise in every one of them.”
Heidi is a great example of how JOG career specialists can be a positive influence on their students. Her continued dedication to the students of Niles McKinley High School is admirable and shows just how much making a good impact on them means to her. We are proud to have Heidi as a part of the JOG family.
