Chad Quiñones

Chad Quiñones

Associate Director, Alumni Engagement


Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA USA


Meet the people doing the job you want to do...people love talking about themselves and what they do, take advantage of this and soak in what people have to tell you.

Milestones

My road in life took a while to figure out.
I grew up in a small town with parents who didn't attend college but were supportive. My mentors ended up being HS teachers.
Working in multiple departments on campus, I met professional staff members who loved what they did for work. These were professionals in student facing positions, and I loved working for them.
In HS I wanted to be an actor or a journalist. I spent a lot of time in theater / choir and taking journalism electives. I did this with the help of teachers from each concentration.
The professional staff I worked for opened up a new line or work I didn't even know existed and encouraged me to complete a masters degree in College Student Development. It was the best decision!
I eventually followed the direction from my journalism teacher and went to college for Communications, at the same place the teacher sent his own daughter for the same degree.
Grad school opened my eyes to the world of Student Affairs and Higher Education Administration. I studied theories, gained experience in campus departments and gained a better perspective of the field
While in college I was an over involved student. From church organizations to on campus jobs, from extracurricular activities to volunteering.
Grad School > Res Life / St. Activities > Alumni Relations There is no correct path but my career lead me from small town VA to Los Angeles CA. I took a leap and have loved every minute!
Keep following my journey

Education

High School
Huntingdon Area Senior High School
Bachelor
Communications/Journalism
Clarion University of Pennsylvania
Graduate
Counseling and College Student Development
Eastern Illinois University

Career

Associate Director, Alumni Engagement

I plan meaningful opportunities for alumni to stay engaged or reengage with Pepperdine University.

Career Roadmap

Roadmap
My work combines:
My work combines:
Education
Non-Profit Organizations
Communicating / Sharing Stories

Day to Day

At Pepperdine, Alumni Relations is about engagement. I spend a lot of my time focused on figuring out what alumni want. Events are my primary way of engaging alumni so I plan multiple events to achieve this. Before an event I see where there are large populations of alumni, find an existing event in that area or create one, market these events to alumni, follow up with registrants, host the event, and do post event follow up with attendees.

Advice for Getting Started

Here's the first step for everyone

Meet the people doing the job you want to do. Ask to job shadow or for an informational meeting over coffee. In general, people love talking about themselves and what they do, take advantage of this and soak in what people have to tell you.

Recommended Education

My career is related to what I studied. I'd recommend the path I took:

undergrad
Bachelor
Communications/Journalism
graduate
Graduate
Counseling and College Student Development

Hurdles

The Noise I Shed

From Society in General:

"Higher Education administration is long hours for not the best pay. "

Challenges I Overcame

Financial