Northwestern University Alumni

Transcript:

[MUSIC PLAYING] HELEN KIM: Welcome to a new season of Northwestern Intersections podcast, where we talk to alumni about how key experiences and intersections propel them in their life's work. I'm your host, Helen Kim, with the Northwestern Alumni Association. This month is October, which means schools have been back in session for about a couple of weeks now. So the Northwestern Intersections team is kicking off our latest season with a four-part back to school miniseries, where we'll speak with Wildcats at the intersection of education and the pandemic discussing how they are approaching their work in our everchanging virtual world. 

Our guest for the third episode of our back to school miniseries is Tiffany Wells. Tiffany Wells is a seasoned independent school educator and senior level administrator with expertise in admissions, marketing, and communication. She holds a Master's of Science and Communications and Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies from Northwestern University. 

Diversity has always resonated with Tiffany and has been a strong component of her professional career. For the past several years, she has consistently surpassed enrollment goals and built diversity within the schools she has administrated. As a lifelong resident of Chicago, Tiffany currently resides with her husband and lovely daughter in the Bronzeville area of South Loop. Hey, Tiffany. Thank you so much for being here today. 

TIFFANY WELLS: Absolutely, my pleasure. 

HELEN KIM: So, where are you calling in from right now? 

TIFFANY WELLS: I am calling in from the office at home. I am the assistant head of school at Guidepost Montessori Wicker Park. So it's a pleasure to be talking with you today, Helen. 

HELEN KIM: So, what does the role of an assistant head of school at a Montessori entail? 

TIFFANY WELLS: Well, this role has definitely manifest since the pandemic. However, being an assistant head of school at a Montessori preschool which is, for our program, age two all the way to age 6 is extremely exciting. I can tell you, from firsthand, never is there a day that's the same as the previous day. 

When it comes to a lot of the tasks, it's really working hand-in-hand with my coworker the head of school, really ensuring that the children's safety is top of mind. Especially during this time period of COVID, we're really wrapping our mindset around the health and safety of each child and the families that come through Guidepost, and really ensuring that they're healthy and safe each and every day that they come to school. 

In addition to really working on the health and safety protocols, it's my job to ensure that we have an even flow of enrollment for new students that come through the school, really ensuring that our protocols for operations are up to par. That includes safety drills when it comes to fire drills, shelter in place, lockdowns, and so forth, and just ensuring the operation management of the school is up to par as well. There's so much more that goes into this role, but I don't want to tell you every single little nitty-gritty task. 

However, it's been extremely delightful. I've been in this position now over six months. And previous to that, I was a director of admissions and marketing at a number of schools. 

HELEN KIM: So you were always in the industry of education and education administration. So when you heard back in March that there was a Coronavirus pandemic, there's a possibility of closing down schools, and whatnot, what was your reaction when you heard that? 

TIFFANY WELLS: Thinking back during that time, I was just leaving a current position that I had at another previous school in Elgin. And I was the director of admissions and marketing. And I literally remember hearing Trump get on the radio and say, "This is a state of emergency." And my first rationale was to get in an Uber and come all the way back to Chicago to be with my daughter and my husband. That was my first mindset. 

I didn't even think about education. I wasn't thinking about any of those things. But then when I got home, I thought to myself, OK, let me take a breather. Let me see what I really want to focus on. And it was just a lot of thinking and a lot of reflection. And that took a couple weeks for me, honestly. 

Luckily, the job that I had at the time, I was able to work from home and really think about that. But then I thought about it a little bit more and put in my notice, because I thought there was going to be a period of time that I would stay at home and not work. However, I thought about it and I said, Tiffany, you have to ride this battle with everyone else. And don't let this get you down. Just take the correct health and safety procedures. 

So I did that, and I got back into putting my resume out there and so forth. And Higher Ground came around. And it was exactly what I was looking for as far as a career pathway for me to become an assistant head. And, eventually, my goal and aspiration is to become a head of school. So never was there this moment during that time that I thought that this could not happen, and manifest into something, and get back into education, and be back into a setting. 

But there was this brief period. And, just to be totally transparent, I'm sure that was on a lot of people's minds. And I just had to push breaks for a moment and think about, what do I want? I have to think about the safety of my family. But I also will have to think about my career path. 

HELEN KIM: Yeah. And to think that you had to transition in your career during a pandemic, that's a lot that you had to deal with on top of your personal life, and your health, and your family's health. 

TIFFANY WELLS: Helen, I can't even express how stressful this time has been in addition to jumping into a new role. And I wasn't originally supposed to start with Guidepost until about mid-June. However, we did have an emergency care program, and I was called to help out at the Wicker Park location and be that point administrator on campus. 

Now, mind you, I had never been an assistant head at that time. So I was jumping right in the fire of things. But I rolled up my sleeves, and I took this chance to really learn and use it to my advantage. But to answer your question, never would I have been prepared for this, never would I have thought this. 

In addition to starting a new career, my husband had just went away in the Air Force Reserves. He was away at basic training. So it was just me and my daughter, who's two years old. And she just turned two, and we know how twos can be, terrible twos. 

But I've learned in life, you just roll with the punches. And you have to remain very flexible, resilient at times. And as long as you're in good health, that's all you can ask for. 

HELEN KIM: Tiffany, you went through a lot. 

TIFFANY WELLS: Yes, but my driving force and motivator is always my mom. She's in the back of my mindset. I lost my mom when I was 21, I was a junior at Northwestern. And I pray every single day. If that did not break my spirit of losing her, then I don't think anything can. 

That was a very, very low point in my life. But the dean of Weinberg had called me at the time when she passed. And I never forget his words. He said, you can take a few weeks off of school. You don't have to come back right now. 

And for one second, I was going to say, yes. Of course, I'm going to stay at home with my family. Then my mom's voice was so loud in my head. And she said, absolutely, not. You get back to school. 

We did the funeral, everything. I took time to grieve. But a week later, I was back on campus. 

And that's just the type of driving force that I use of motivation to get me through things, because, like I said, there are definitely going to be these curve balls in life. But you have to think about, what have you really faced in life that has affected you? And [INAUDIBLE] you're going through at that time, how does it compare? So right now, what we're going through is very minimal to what I went through. 

HELEN KIM: Let's talk about your Northwestern experience, because I know that your parents wanted you to go to Northwestern ever since you were born. And your mom was a huge inspiration behind that. So tell us, how did you end up choosing Northwestern? And, why did they want you to go here so badly? 

TIFFANY WELLS: Whenever I think about this story, it really brings a smile to my face. I live and bleed purple for Northwestern. Northwestern is so dear to my heart. Northwestern was chosen for me. And that came through my mom and my dad. 

It was chosen when I was honestly one years old. We were driving along Sheridan Road, and we were in a convertible, and my mom saw Northwestern campus. She had never seen it before. 

And she pointed to my dad and said, Tiffany's going to be going there. And my dad said, Mini, do you know how expensive Northwestern is? We don't have that kind of money. There's no possible way. And she said, you'll make it happen, and end of discussion. 

So fast forward 18 years later, and I applied to Northwestern. Actually, it was my junior year of high school. And my mom-- you would have thought was a college counselor, because basically, I came home one day from class, and the dining room table had over 30 applications on there. 

And she had already compiled my list and said, these are your top universities, these are your medium universities, and your safety universities. And it was like a shining light on Northwestern's application. And she said, this is your golden university, and you will be getting in. And I said, OK. 

HELEN KIM: It had its own separate category. 

TIFFANY WELLS: Right, it's nice to know that you're the director of admissions at Northwestern. So I sat there for weeks with that application. And I did it. My grandma-- she proof read it. My dad, friends, family. 

Then I shipped it off, and I never forget. I did early decision, because I knew if I got into Northwestern, that was it. I heard a call from one of my friends who attended the same high school as me. She applied to Northwestern, early decision. She got accepted, and she called me right away. 

And I was just silent on the phone, because I was thinking in the back of my mind like, you got accepted, and I haven't got my acceptance. What is going on? And I was very, very nervous. I didn't mention anything to my parents. 

But then, the next day, an envelope came. And it was a purple envelope, and didn't know what that meant. I was too nervous, but my mom took the envelope out of my head, and she opened it. And she said, we got in. And the rest was history. 

I mean, she was so, so overwhelmed with joy. And it wasn't so much that I was just joyful for getting in Northwestern, getting accepted, it was that I made her dream also come true. So that was the highlight. I got into a number of other universities. But every time those acceptance letters would come, she would just rip those up and say, hey, we're already at Northwestern. 

So I think it was for that time period before we actually came on campus for freshman year, every weekend, we were driving up to Northwestern, and pointing out different places, and visualizing where I would be as far as dormitory, and all of those things. So, full circle, Northwestern has been true to my heart. 10 years later after graduating from WCAS, I applied to the hybrid leadership program and did that. 

Now, I have my Master's of Communication from Northwestern as well. So I say to anyone who's looking to apply to Northwestern, follow your dream, because you just never know what can happen, and never look at those statistics of you have to have this certain ACT, SAT. Of course, I did have those things, but it's also the whole picture that they're looking for. 

HELEN KIM: That's an amazing story. Especially your mom, she was so sure that you were going to get into Northwestern. And after getting your bachelor's, you came back to get your master's. 

And you're still in the area, you're still in Chicago near the campus, and doing amazing things with what you learned after Northwestern. You are now the assistant head of school Guidepost Montessori. So, would you say your career path was pretty linear or pretty zigzag and unexpected? 

TIFFANY WELLS: Yeah. Just to go back to being in Chicago and not straying away, it's no place like Chicago. Chicago has so many things to offer, and the alumni network here is phenomenal as well. When it comes to career path, everyone graduates from Northwestern, and they hear, you're going to make six figures right off the boat, and you're going to be doing fabulous things, and all these things. 

But, for me, I've always been the type of person when opportunity knocks, I answer. And I see what will come out of it. So with that being said, it was definitely zigzag. I had an internship when I was at Northwestern when I was a junior, and I started working at Ariel Investments. And that was phenomenal, that opened up a lot of doors. 

A lot of people who worked there, a lot of clients, they graduated from Northwestern. So that was wonderful. I worked there part time, and then that was on the 29th floor of the Aon Center. 

And then on the 22nd floor was the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. So I worked there full time. I got a full-time job. I never forget that day. I got my acceptance letter and an offer for 30,000, and I thought I had made it. 

I called my dad, and I said, Dad, I never have to work again. I'm retiring, this is amazing. And he said, Tiffany, there's more, I'm sure, coming. But I'm so proud of you. 

And I started working at the Chamber, and then I also had Ariel. So I was working seven days a week. I was very goal oriented. When I first graduated from Northwestern, I moved back home for a little bit of time for about maybe five months. And I knew it wasn't for me to stay at home, just because I was used to having my own space. 

So I thought with my $30,000, that I could live downtown Chicago. So I call Luxury Dream Realtors. I really dreamed big here, Helen. 

HELEN KIM: Hey, it's all about the confidence. 

TIFFANY WELLS: I never forget, they came and picked me up from Aon center. And I said, so, where are we going to look for an apartment with my budget? And they said, well, we're going to go very far West. And I said, no. I want to live downtown. 

So we went to apartment over in Lakeshore East. That's one of the most wealthiest areas downtown Chicago. And I call my dad and said, I found my dream apartment. And it was a convertible apartment. So, basically, a one bedroom without a door. 

But when they ran my credit, I didn't know anything about credit, and the ladies came back and said, you have no credit. And I said, what is that? So I had to unfortunately call my dad, and he cosigned for me. But I was able to make it. And that was the whole story. 

Everything turned out the way it was supposed to. And my story behind this and the objective is always dream big, because you never know what can come from it. From there, one day I was at home, and I got a flyer under my door. And it said, GEMS World Academy is coming to Chicago. And they're coming from Dubai, and it was this prestigious private school. 

And I said, wow, that sounds amazing. I'm going to apply for the executive assistant position, because I was getting a little restless at my job at the Chamber. So I applied. I received that position as the executive assistant. 

With GEMS coming to Chicago, that was a founding school. So it was going to be me and four others. I went in that first day, and they said, you're not going to be the executive assistant. And I said, OK, what should I do now? But I said, I'm going to roll with the punches. I'll be an admissions coordinator, and I'll see what comes from here. 

I had only known admissions from a university college level. And admissions has been phenomenal when it comes to independent and private schools. It's really offered me an opportunity to give other children opportunities to really focus on their passions and go from there. 

If I was offered an opportunity to go to a private or independent school when I was in high school, that would have been amazing, because, who knows the opportunities that would have opened from that? But I was very privileged enough to go to Northwestern University. 

HELEN KIM: And then, now, in your current role at Guidepost Montessori. So tell me a little bit about how the school has changed some of the protocols. And you mentioned to me before that now there is an option to do virtual and in person. And you are in the location that offers in-person classes, right? 

TIFFANY WELLS: Yes, so Guidepost Montessori is the consortium of what Montessoris should be as far as across the nation. They have schools all over the United States, and also globally, and internationally as well. There's three different entities when it comes to Guidepost Montessori. There's the at home aspect, where you could have a guide or a nanny come in the home. Then there's virtual, and then there's the actual on campus. 

Now with our virtual, compared to CPS and other independent schools, our virtual is a actual program. There is a head of school there, there's an assistant head. It is there, it's an entity. And I am the assistant head of school at Guidepost Montessori Wicker Park. So we're actually a location that's tangible. 

It's changed dramatically for some aspects for the better, because now we're extremely cautious when it comes to health and safety. We're crossing our Ts, dotting our Is. Guidepost has been phenomenal as far as giving us the resources, making sure that we know how to go about health and safety protocols when it comes to really collaborating with DCFS, and making sure that we're up to par with those guidelines, and really ensuring that we're getting this communication out to parents. 

Tomorrow, we will actually be getting out a communication, because there is possibly another surge. And, how are we going to tackle that as a school? And, honestly, the way we're going to do that is continuously practicing these health and safety protocols. And making sure we're wearing the mask, making sure that children's temperatures are getting taken appropriately. 

If we are seeing any symptoms that are related to the flu, anything of that sort, being on top of those things. So that is how it's changed. Beforehand, before this pandemic, parents were allowed to come in the building. At this point, now we just have guides, staff, children come in the building. 

We don't really let any outsiders in there. We don't host on campus events. Everything is done virtually. 

And everyone has been complying to everything and being extremely open minded. And if a family is not open minded, then we have these conversations, because the bottom line is we're keeping the community safe. And we want to make sure that everyone has this mission and goal in the end. 

HELEN KIM: Right, the wellbeing of children and the staff of the school is number one. 

TIFFANY WELLS: You have to be very conscious of everyone's wellbeing, because the guides go home. Some of them are taking care of their parents, some are taking care of their grandparents. So we have to keep those things in mind. And families should not be selfish, just because they want to go on a family vacation or things like that. 

So everyone, like I said, has been extremely respectful of everyone's wishes. If a family is traveling, myself, the head of school, we always ask, can we have open communication? Are one of the states that you're going to one of the high profile states that does have Coronavirus? Can you please let us know? 

They've been very open. And if they do, then a 14-day period of being in quarantine. We haven't had any cases, knock on wood. But that is just due to strong protocols and really making sure that we're staying on top of those safety procedures. 

HELEN KIM: And I'm curious. So for young kids, it's just innately in their system that they want to interact with each other, play with each other in their own personal spaces. And that's pretty critical, especially during their age, where they're learning how to socialize with other kids their age. So now that we're trying to social distance and taking really high precautions, how are the kids interacting with each other when they're playing or they have a break time? 

TIFFANY WELLS: That's a great question. And a lot of parents, honestly, Helen, have decided to send their children to school, because they want to continue to give them this sense of being around other children. Of course, we take social distance top of mind when it comes in the classroom setting. For example, when children are eating, we make sure that we have no more than two to a table setting. 

And when it comes to the children that are aged three through six, they're wearing a mask throughout the entire day with the exception of when they go to the playground. Then they're actually taking off their mask. But everything is labeled. So even then, they have these clear shields that they can put their mask in. And when they're done playing, they can actually put that back on. 

But children will be children. And they still want to have that closeness. But we definitely try to monitor that. So we make sure that they're not hugging each other for long periods of times and things like that when it comes to playing together. But they are even self-aware. 

And we have built in the academics that the lead guides are making it very knowledgeable to the children. There are so many books now on Amazon that are how to wear a mask. We actually just did a video on our Facebook page, and it was in Spanish, how to wear a mask properly. 

I purchased a book on Amazon for my daughter, who's in the toddler class. It was called Riley's Mask Adventure. So these type of things is just bringing things to light. And you can make it fun in a certain way. You don't have to make it scary for the children. 

So many children when they first came back on campus, it was a shocker for them, because they were like, is it OK to go on the playground? Is it not, because at home, mommy and daddy say it's not really OK? 

But we explain to them this is our playground. No one else uses it. Before we play on the playground, it's sprayed down with sanitizing solution. After, it's sprayed down with sanitizing solution before the next class comes. 

So as the children are getting in this communication, they understand, OK. It's OK right here on this campus. But I'm not going to necessarily go to Wicker Park and use a swing without having that sanitizing go along with it. 

HELEN KIM: That's fascinating, I mean, because it's even hard for adults to always remind ourselves to put on hand sanitizer and always put on our mask. And that's important, but especially for kids who aren't understanding the concept behind, why do we need to do this now? Especially, I think, by now, they're used to it. And it's like part of their daily routine. But I'm sure in the very beginning when they had to ensure that they were always wearing masks outside when they're playing out in the playgrounds or they probably couldn't even play on the playgrounds back then, but it must have been pretty shocking for them to try to adjust. 

TIFFANY WELLS: Yes. I mean, it's definitely an adjustment. But now, it's so normal. That's the sad part. But, as encouragement, it's become normal, because the children are in the setting. 

When we step through those doors for Guidepost, it's normal to us. And I feel for adults and children that are not going through that, because it does become a shocker when you do have to do this so much. Now, we know to wash our hands 20 times a day on campus or as soon as our mask slips down, to pull it back up. These are second nature things to us, because we're living through it every single day. 

Even when the children get picked up from school and they see their parent come to the door, and there has been some cases where a parent left their mask in the car and little Johnny, he says, Daddy, where's your mask? It's so second nature. And they're on top of it more so than the adult. 

So that's been very refreshing, because they are getting the backstory. And the children are so curious about it. They want to know, will there be a vaccine? They want to know what precautions will be taken, how can they help? It's all of these things. 

HELEN KIM: Children are so smart. And they learn so quickly. They absorb information like sponges. 

TIFFANY WELLS: They truly do. And it's just so fascinating if you just watch. I mean, I can personally just see it from my daughter. Every school day, she comes home with something new. Today, her new phrase was, I'm really, really strong, Mommy. 

And I said, first off, you learned the word "really." And secondly, strong. She was able to apply it. It wasn't just a word. 

She actually showed me her muscles. So she knew, and she's only two and 1/2. So I can see, firsthand, the knowledge that she's getting in school. She's really, really thrilled about autumn time, and fall, and the pumpkins. 

So it's nice, especially when you have a child or just to see through a child's eyes. Besides this Coronavirus, they are still living life. And that's something we have to stay mindful of. As much as this is terrifying and this is a terrifying time, you still have to enjoy life to the fullest. And I see that through my daughter's eyes. 

HELEN KIM: Touching. So, Tiffany, before we end, I know you shared so much about your story, and the struggles that you went through, and how you pushed through it. Is there any advice that you would like to share with the Northwestern network? 

TIFFANY WELLS: There are so many things I can share. However, my biggest advice is, remain open minded when you graduate from Northwestern. Understand there are going to be really great days that you feel that you're on top of the world. And then there's going to be really low days. And never think that you're better than anyone else, because it's truly a shocker when you first graduate. 

We're all intelligent from Northwestern. We all have fascinating stories. But then you get in the real world, and everyone else has these fascinating stories. And everyone else is intelligent as well. 

So you have to remain very humble and understand that anything and everything can happen. But be ready for when those things happen, and how to come out of the hole, and how to address those challenges. I have definitely went through some challenges in life. And I look back, and I'm just like, wow, I got through that. 

Every month, I like to do one day of reflection. That's also something good. Always, reflect on your life. See what has worked, what you can improve on, and things like that. And I was doing this reflection time, and I just looked at my pictures from when I was a freshman at Northwestern to now, and everything has changed, my style. 

I still have my best friend from Northwestern. We met at Northwestern. And she said, Tiffany when you were a freshman, you were so colorful. You wore these bold colors and everything, and now you're kind of serious. And I said, well, this is the world. 

But I so much enjoy those pictures, because Northwestern, like I said, was amazing. If you really get to experience the campus, do it and experience everything. Get in so many different clubs, do some community service. Just get to know people. 

There was times that I would go from one cafeteria to another, even though I didn't have any classes all the way up north. And I went to Sargent a couple of times. Then I would go to Foster-Walker. Then I would go to 1800 Hinman. 

And then I think it was my final year at Northwestern, I found out Elder had a cafeteria. And that was a shocker, because it's like a restaurant. Or at that time, it was. And just get to know people, because it's so fascinating. 

I never forget. I lived in healthy living unit at the time in Foster-Walker, and one of my friends was from Vancouver, Canada. He was Asian. And, I mean, he was so intelligent, and I looked up to him so much, and he was a math major. 

But what he taught me about his culture and how he would go about things, it was so amazing, because he started to describe his mom, and how she was so into academics, and all these things. And I was like, oh, my goodness. Your mom and my mom had the same mom, because she was so much like that. 

Even though I'm African-American and you're Chinese, we have basically the same grandma. So it's those type of things you find underlining commitments, and characteristics, and attributes. So just use this time to your advantage, and run with the punches. And really just seize opportunities when you can. 

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HELEN KIM: Thank you for tuning into today's episode of Northwestern Intersections. For more information about our podcast, please visit northwestern.edu/intersections. Until next time, stay safe, and take care of yourself and your families. 

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