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Justin Gerboc

Justin Gerboc

Cal State Fullerton

Fullerton, CA USA

"Money isn't the only satisfaction you can get from a job/career. I find that working in a field where I have a passion allows me to see my job as more than just tasks to accomplish."

Career Roadmap

Justin's work combines: Non-Profit Organizations, Education, and Communicating / Sharing Stories

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Day In The Life

Director, Alumni Engagement

Connect Titans across generations with one another and help them maintain a strong relationship with the university

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    International Studies & Economics

    Allegheny College

  • Graduate Degree

    Higher Education and Student Affairs

    The Ohio State University

Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Director, Alumni Engagement:

Bachelor's Degree: International Studies & Economics

Graduate Degree: Higher Education and Student Affairs

Learn more about different paths to this career

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life took a while to figure out

  • 1.

    Went to a high school program for international studies - Decided I wanted to help companies set up in foreign countries using local culture as baseline

  • 2.

    First in my family to go to college to study international studies and economics - set boundaries with my parents even though I was only 30 minutes away from home

  • 3.

    Studied abroad in France - first time on a plane and first time out of the country

  • 4.

    Met up with a friend from high school program who had gone to business school - decided grad school for business

  • 5.

    Realized I was most excited by the leadership opportunities I was afforded as a student including educating and facilitating others' learning

  • 6.

    Decided to go to grad school for student affairs after talking with some mentors - I wanted to focus on student leadership development

  • 7.

    Spent 12 years in student affairs working with student leaders, student activists, and student government

  • 8.

    Wanted to expand my expertise and take a step toward nonprofit work - chose to move into Alumni Engagement to stay connected to a university but work with a different population

Defining Moments

How I responded to discouragement

  • THE NOISE

    Messages from Family:

    You will never make any money and will be pigeon-holed in your career.

  • How I responded:

    Money isn't the only satisfaction you can get from a job/career. I love working in education and believe in its transformational power. I find that working in a field where I have a passion allows me to see my job as more than just tasks to accomplish. It allows me to be better than just a box-checking employee.

Experiences and challenges that shaped me

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  • As a white man, I have had to make intentional efforts to see beyond my own experience to be able to serve the communities I do. I had to listen to a lot of challenging feedback from friends/colleagues who were women and people of color.