It might be surprising that the Penn employee helping you plan your career also makes jewelry on the side for friends and family, but then again you probably haven't met Senior Associate Director at Career Services Kelly Cleary.
Raised not far from Philadelphia in Dallas, Pa., Cleary is the middle child of five. However, she does not exhibit any of the associated syndromes. On the contrary, her bachelor of arts and under-four-hour Disney Marathon time are testaments to her intelligence and talent.
Before coming to Penn, Cleary realized her love for traveling by working as an English teacher in Rome, for the U.S. Department of State in Ireland and as the director of Career Services at a small liberal-arts college in Florida.
Although Florida's sunny weather was hard to leave behind, Cleary said she wanted to come to Philadelphia because working at Penn was her "dream job."
Although she has only been in her position at Penn for six months, she is already highly involved in providing more opportunities within career services for all Penn students and alumni.
She plans resume workshops, organizes panels for students and administers career counseling. For Cleary, career counseling is the most rewarding aspect of her job.
When Cleary read in The Daily Pennsylvanian that a student had woken up at 6:30 a.m. to a buzzing Blackberry containing an e-mail from her office, she decided to start sending her messages about career opportunities during regular work hours.
Though Cleary was hesitant to list the downsides of a job she loves, she admitted that the e-mails she sends out two or three times a week take a significant amount of time to put together. "The amount of employers that want Penn students is amazing" she said.
For the future, Cleary has no definitive plans. She intends to explore Philadelphia with her husband, who is a fiction writer, travel to Scandinavia and get to know Penn students.
So if you ever need assistance in career planning or are looking for a summer internship, look no further than Cleary's office, because she cannot wait to meet you.
