Her Story
About Caryn
Caryn Preston serves as Assistant Director of USF Youth Experiences at the University of South Florida. She has been with the university for approximately six years and co-developed the Office of Youth Experiences with Dr. James Welsh about five years ago. Prior to her roles at USF, she taught kindergarten for five years. She earned a degree in early childhood education from USF after beginning her studies at Louisiana State University and is currently two classes away from completing a master's degree in marketing at USF. In her position, Preston handles outreach to faculty and staff to create youth-friendly programming, manages marketing communications, and oversees initiatives that introduce young people to university opportunities and career paths.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Caryn
01What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Read everything. Whether it's the newspaper or a magazine or a short story or poetry or fiction or nonfiction or a biography, just read everything. I joined a book club, and it has really vastly impacted the way that I look at life.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Not minimizing yourself. As women, you just have to be yourself. Never feel like you have to make yourself smaller so that other people can feel great. Advocate for yourselves and lift each other up without minimizing ourselves.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Challenge is that universities don't tend to have youth outreach departments and are focused on research or degrees; opportunity is reaching kids young to show them university possibilities and career paths like medical research to avoid wasting time and resources.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity and accessibility. Being honest and transparent about compliance for youth safety; ensuring programs accommodate special needs children like my own with Williams syndrome so all parents feel comfortable.
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