Crystal Hall awarded internship in the Virginia Department of Education
School of Education graduate student in Higher Education Administration
Ties to Virginia and education:
Crystal Hall has recently been awarded an internship working for the Virginia Department of Education Secretary, Gerard Robinson.
Crystal applied for the internship in the Governor's office for two reasons; "I am passionate about higher education and the life changing educational opportunities provided to Virginia residents." Her family moved to Fairfax when she was eight because of the K-12 public school system. "They knew that I would be part of a community that would help me build a solid educational foundation." After graduating from high school she moved to North Carolina to attend college. When she graduated from college, she moved back to Virginia to work for Georgetown University. "One function of my job was to advise community college students about the admissions process for our part-time undergraduate programs. I spent significant amount of time working with the Northern Virginia Community College system, attending their transfer fairs, and advising their students. The experience I gained working for Georgetown gave me a glimpse into the well developed, student success focused, higher education system in Virginia. Now as a graduate student at the College of William & Mary I feel even more connected to the state and desire to make an even greater impact for its students."
Crystal is interested in making sure college is accessible to all regardless of age, gender, race, or socioeconomic status. She would like a career working for education either at the state or federal level.
Professional Experience:
As a Director of Admissions at Georgetown University, she was responsible for developing successful recruitment strategies and admissions processes for the School of Continuing Studies. These responsibilities relate to the school's 8 degree programs, summer programs for high school students, Semester in Washington, professional certificates, and summer school registration. The School of Continuing Studies houses the nontraditional degree programs that accommodate students with a wide range of backgrounds. Specifically, the school caters to working professionals who range in age (18-60) and are seeking to further their education at the Bachelor, Master, or Doctoral level. It also recruits high school students (age 14-18) looking to participate in various summer programs. Working at the School of Continuing Studies allowed her the opportunity to interact with a diverse pool of people from all different walks of life. "My experience at Georgetown helped me understand the challenges that students face from various demographic backgrounds."
