Her Story
About Christine
My journey in education began in 2003 when I relocated from Chicago, Illinois to Houston, Texas, leaving behind an abusive relationship and coming here on faith with my children. By August, I had landed a job in for-profit admissions, which started my career in education. I worked my way up from admissions rep to assistant director to director, and eventually to associate director, transitioning from for-profit to public institutions. Now I serve as an associate director at the University of Houston's Welcome Center, where I oversee front operations, manage staff, handle escalations, work with families and students on tours and visits, assist the executive director with initiatives and performance reviews, and build relationships across departments like financial aid, the registrar's office, and the business office. I'm also an adjunct professor for Belhaven University out of Jackson, Mississippi since 2015, teaching psychology, sociology, and counseling courses. I'm a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed in 2010 but continued working and pursuing my education throughout treatment. When I received word that I was cancer-free, I walked across the stage at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia with my master's degree in counseling. Beyond my professional roles, I run a women's ministry called Breathe (B-R-E-A-T-H-E) to support and empower women who have faced challenges, and I'm a published author with my latest book being 'The Heart of a Mother, When Love Is Not Enough,' which addresses different concerns mothers face. I'm a wife of 22 years, mother of 7 children (5 biological and 2 bonus children), and grandmother of 15.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Christine
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to my faith. Truly, I have to say that. It is truly my faith. In those times when you just feel distraught, disappointed, maybe feeling like you don't measure up, it's my faith. It's me going in prayer. It's me being able to just believe that there's a difference. I'm not so easily moved by what's going on around me. I try to see it through the eyes of my faith. My faith in God is what has brought me through a whole lot, even from childhood. It's brought me through a whole lot - cancer diagnosis, divorce due to abuse in relationships, all of that. At the end of the day, that's what holds me, that's what keeps me.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is don't give up. I've had some rocky mountains, and sometimes you feel like you're not valued or you're being dismissed, but I've had great advice: don't be emotional, be intentional. Continue to work, it's all gonna work out, and it did. Also, make sure you're not sticking to a job description. When you have the opportunity to learn something new, you learn it. When you have the opportunity to shadow someone, shadow them. When you have the opportunity to sit in the room where you may not actually sit in, sit in the room. Don't look at it as 'that's not my job, that's not what I do, they don't pay me to do it.' You would be surprised at how, if you just humble yourself when you walk into those rooms, where you will wind up and how you would be able to add that knowledge onto a resume or pass that knowledge on to someone else, or how upper management will then see you, because they can't see you if you just stand still. You begin to be seen when you move out and actually introduce yourself to these people. Give them your name, sit in a meeting and be quiet. You don't have to be the loudest mouse in the room. Integrity and character goes a long way. As a woman being in corporate America, there's a way we should carry ourselves because it's already some kind of a fight, but at the end of the day, I could help another young lady to understand the fight and know that at the end, it's well worth it.
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